JP2002133493A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic ending machine capable of coping with a change of a selling price with a simple structure as before. SOLUTION: In this automatic vending machine 1 dispensing a commodity 5 by use of operation of an operation lever 11, a slider 30 is formed with a recessed part 30b storing two coins C with the coins C radially adjacent to each other, and the coins C are delivered to a coin collection box 15 by moving the slider 30 interlockingly with the operation lever 11. By displacing a lock lever 28 according to a projecting amount of the coin C from the recessed part 30b, the locking and releasing of slider 30 are changed over. The slider 30 is provided with a stopper 32 changing over between a position for limiting the number of the coins C and a position for releasing the limitation. The projecting amount of the coin C from the recessed part 30b when the regular coins C are stored by the number limited by the stopper 32 is set to be equal to the projecting amount of the coin C from the recessed part 30b when a prescribed number of the regular coins C are stored in the recessed part 30b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mechanical vending machine which generates a movement for paying out goods by using an operation of an operator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As this kind of vending machine, there is known a vending machine which pays out a commodity such as a toy in a plastic capsule mainly for children in exchange for a predetermined amount of coins. Such a vending machine is installed in a place where power supply cannot be secured or where it is difficult to secure power supply, such as the eaves of a store or a landing on stairs, without using an electric drive device or a sensor. In addition, the processing of coins and the operation of paying out commodities are realized using the operation of the purchaser. For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-9898, Utility Model Registration No. 3
Such a vending machine is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 014387 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-212438. In these vending machines, when the purchaser inserts a predetermined amount of coins and rotates the handle on the front of the housing, a rotating plate coaxial with the handle rotates integrally with the handle while holding the coin, If the diameter of the held coin is correct, the lock that limits the amount of rotation of the handle is released and the handle rotates one turn,
With one rotation of the handle, the product selection drum provided at the bottom of the product storage room rotates by a predetermined angle, and the products taken into the drum are discharged to a predetermined product outlet.

There are two types of products that can be purchased by vending machines: one that can be purchased with one coin, and one that can be purchased in exchange for two or more coins. Since it is wasteful to exchange the vending machine and its coin discriminating mechanism in response to such a change in the sales amount, a vending machine provided with a discriminating mechanism capable of responding to the change in the sales amount has been proposed. I have.

[0004] For example, the above-mentioned utility model registration No. 301438
No. 7 discloses a vending machine in which a recess for accommodating two coins in a state of being stacked in the thickness direction is provided on the above-mentioned rotating plate, and each coin protruding from the outer periphery of the rotating plate is provided on the outer periphery of the rotating plate. Two lock levers that can be individually contacted are operably provided independently of each other. When two regular coins are inserted into the recess of the rotating plate and the rotating plate rotates by a predetermined angle, each lock lever comes into contact with the corresponding coin and is pushed up, and the rotation of the rotating plate is released, and the restriction of the rotation of the rotating plate is released, and the product is paid out. Is allowed. If at least one of the two coins is an illegal coin having a small diameter, the amount of pushing up of the lock lever corresponding to the illegal coin is insufficient, and the rotation plate cannot be unlocked. As a result, the delivery of the product is prevented. When selling products in exchange for one coin, the width of the entrance to the recess is restricted to prevent the entry of a second coin, and the two lock levers are connected so that both coins can be used with one coin. The lever is pushed up integrally to unlock the rotating plate.

[0005]

However, as described above, in the configuration in which a plurality of coins are received in the concave portion of the rotating plate in the thickness direction, it is necessary to provide a lock lever for each coin, and the number of parts is reduced. To increase. Depending on whether the product is sold in exchange for a single coin or in exchange for two coins, it is necessary to switch between operating the two lock levers independently of each other or integrally. Yes, the mechanism becomes complicated. Further, since it is necessary to turn the handle so that a plurality of lock levers are pushed up against the spring force, the rotation resistance of the rotating plate is increased as compared with the case where a single lock lever is used, and the operation of the handle is increased. It is also a factor that hinders the reduction of power.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine which can respond to a change in sales amount with a simpler configuration than in the past.

[0007]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are added in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

According to the present invention, the operation member (1)
In a vending machine (1) that generates a payout operation of a product (5) using the operation of (1), a concave portion (2) capable of accommodating two or more predetermined numbers of coins (C) in a state of being connected in the radial direction. 30b), a position for receiving coins inserted from the coin insertion slot (12) into the recess in conjunction with the operation member, and a position for transferring coins in the recess to a predetermined coin storage unit (15) A holding member (30) movable between
It is provided so as to be able to come into contact with coins projecting radially from the recess in the middle of the movement path of the holding member, and heads toward the transfer position of the holding member according to the amount of the coin projecting from the recess. Lock position to prevent movement,
A lock member (28) displaceable between a release position allowing the movement of the holding member, and the coin provided to move integrally with the holding member, and protruding into the recess and housed in the recess. A number switching member (32) operable to be switched between a limit position for limiting the number of sheets and a release position for releasing the limit, and switching the number switch member to the limit position to fit in the recess. When a limited number of regular coins having the correct diameter are accommodated, the projecting amount of the coin from the concave portion and the predetermined number of regular coins are accommodated in the concave portion by switching the number switching member to the release position. The above-described problem is solved by setting the amount of the coin protruding from the concave portion when the coin is set to be equal.

According to the present invention, since the coins are accommodated in the recess of the holding member in a state of being connected in the radial direction, the coins protrude from the recess and come into contact with the lock member regardless of the number of coins accommodated in the recess. The number of coins is one, and only one lock member needs to be provided correspondingly. In addition, even when the number switching member is switched to the limit position or the release position, as long as the normal coins are correctly inserted by the number specified by the number switching member, the amount of the coin protruding from the recess is equal. Therefore, no matter which position the number switching member is switched to, the authenticity of the coin can be correctly determined by the single lock member, and the restriction of the movement of the holding member and the release of the restriction can be appropriately switched. in this way,
According to the present invention, since it is not necessary to provide a plurality of lock members corresponding to a plurality of coins, a mechanism for responding to a change in sales amount can be simplified. In addition, even when the lock member is pressed against the holding member, the pressing force is smaller than when the plurality of lock members are pressed against the holding member, so that the resistance to the movement of the holding member can be reduced, and thereby the operation member can be reduced. It can also contribute to a reduction in operating power.

[0010] In the vending machine of the present invention, the holding member is formed in a plate shape and the recess is formed so as to cut out the holding member, and the number switching member is provided on one side surface of the holding member. The number switching member is provided so as to be movable along the limit position and the release position along the surface and to cover the recess from the one side surface, and the number switching member is provided on the surface facing the recess of the number switching member. A projection (32a) may be provided that protrudes into the recess when switched to the position and retreats into an escape groove (30c) provided in connection with the recess of the holding member when switched to the release position. With this configuration, the thickness of the holding member can be made approximately equal to that of a coin, and the holding member can be reduced in weight and the operating force of the operating member can be reduced. In particular, when the holding member is formed by sheet metal processing of a plate material equivalent to a coin, the holding member can be configured to be strong and lightweight. Prevention of coins falling out of the holding member and switching of the number of coins to be received in the recess can be realized by a common number switching member. Therefore, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced, and cost can be reduced.

[0011] The holding member is a support member (21) arranged on the opposite side of the number switching member with respect to the holding member.
Thereby, the coin is supported so as to be movable between a position for receiving the coin and a position for delivering the coin, and the support member includes the holding member when the holding member moves to the receiving position and the delivering position, respectively. Holes (21d, 21e) are provided so as to be connected to the concave portion of the member and allow the coin to be removed from the concave portion, and the holding member is disposed outside the number switching member and provided in the number switching member. A coin rejecting member (35) may be provided which is able to protrude and retreat into the recess through the holes (32d, 32d).

In this case, coins can be prevented from dropping out of the recess by sandwiching the plate-shaped holding member in the thickness direction between the number switching member and the support member. When the holding member moves to the coin receiving position and the coin transferring position, the hole of the support member and the concave portion of the holding member are connected to remove the coin to the side of the concave portion. This coin removing operation can be reliably performed by inserting the coin removing member into the concave portion. At this time, since the coin removing member can be inserted into the recess through the hole of the number switching member, there is no need to retract the number switching member from the recess in conjunction with the operation of the coin removing member. This further simplifies the mechanism around the recess.

When the holding member is at the receiving position, an elimination drive member (2) which can engage with the coin elimination member and drive the coin elimination member in a direction to enter the recess.
5) may be provided so as to be operable from the outside of the vending machine, and the coin removed by the coin removing member from the recess at the receiving position may be guided to a predetermined coin return port (13). . In this case, the coin inserted from the coin insertion slot can be repaid to the coin return slot without operating the operation member to move the holding member.

[0014] A lid (25a) for closing the concave portion may be provided in the removing drive member, and the lid may be moved to open the concave portion as the coin removing member is driven. In this case, when the holding member is at the position for receiving the coin, the concave portion is closed by the lid unless the removing drive member is operated, so that there is no possibility that the coin will fall out of the concave portion and be repaid to the coin insertion slot. .

[0015] When the holding member is at the transfer position, the coin removing member may be driven in a direction to enter the concave portion to remove the coin from the concave portion to the coin storage portion. With this configuration, when the holding member moves to the position where the coin is transferred, the coin can be reliably removed from the concave portion and dropped into the coin storage section.

The vending machine of the present invention has a product storage room (3).
And a motion for transmitting the motion of the operating member to the holding member and the product selection member, respectively, which is driven to select any one of the many products (5) stored in the storage device. A transmission mechanism (20A), wherein the motion transmission mechanism suspends motion transmission to the product selection member while the operation member is operated from its operation start position to a predetermined drive start position. The operation position of the operation member when the movement of the holding member is prevented by the lock member may be set closer to the operation start position than the drive start position.

According to this configuration, after a regular coin is inserted and the lock member moves to the restriction release position, the product selection member is driven based on the operation of the operation member. Therefore, it is possible to reliably eliminate the possibility that the commodity sorting member starts moving before the coin is determined to be authentic and the commodity is erroneously paid out.

In the present invention, the holding member may be given various movements in conjunction with the operating member, but the holding member can be linearly moved between a position for receiving the coin and a position for receiving the coin. It is preferable that When a plurality of coins are successively received in the radial direction and received in the recess, if the holding member is to be rotationally moved, the recess needs to be provided in a range from the outer periphery of the holding member to the center of rotation. As the radius increases, the layout of the holding member inside the housing is greatly restricted. Moreover,
As the radius of the holding member increases, the mass of the holding member also increases, which may be one factor that makes the operation of the operation member heavy. On the other hand, if the holding member is moved linearly,
What is necessary is just to form the holding member in a width that allows for a margin necessary for maintaining the strength with respect to the depth (D) of the concave portion, and the holding member can be made compact. As a result, the degree of freedom of the layout of the holding member is increased, and it is possible to contribute to the reduction of the operation force of the operation member.

The coins of the present invention include not only coins circulating as currency, but also various alternative coins such as medals and tokens used as symbols of economic value at places where vending machines are installed, and various other coins. Includes disk-shaped members.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a vending machine for toys will be described with reference to FIGS.
1 to 3 show the entire configuration of the vending machine 1, FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a left side view, and FIG. 3 is a right side view. In addition,
In these figures, some internal mechanisms are shown by solid lines. 2 and 3 correspond to the front-rear direction of the vending machine 1, and the right side of FIG. 2 and the left side of FIG. 3 correspond to the front of the vending machine 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the external appearance of the vending machine 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the vending machine 1 has a vertically long casing 2, and a commodity storage room 3 is formed on the top of the casing 2. A door 4 is provided on the front side of the product storage room 3. When selling the product, the door 4 is closed by the lock 4a. By releasing the lock by the lock 4a and rotating the door 4 forward with the support shafts 4b, 4b on both sides at the lower end thereof as a fulcrum, the product storage chamber 3 is opened to the outside and the product 5 enters into the interior (FIG. 2). Can be replenished. FIG. 2 shows a capsule product 5 in which toys are contained in a plastic capsule as an example of the product, but other products may be used. A drum 6 as a disc-shaped product selection member is provided at the bottom of the product storage room 3. As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of (five in the illustrated example) product taking holes 6a... 6a are formed in the drum 6 at equal pitches in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the upper surface of the drum 6, an appropriate number of rods 7 for agitating goods are attached. When the drum 6 rotates around its center line X, the product is agitated in the product storage chamber 3 by the rod 7, and the product 5 is taken into each hole 6a one by one. At the lower part of the drum 6, a drop restricting member 8 for restricting the product 5 from dropping from the hole 6a is provided. However, the drop restricting member 8 is provided with a drop port (not shown) that allows the product 5 to drop from the hole 6a at only one location. When the drum 6 rotates and any one of the holes 6a is fed out onto the dropping port, the product 5 held in the hole 6a falls from the drum 6 and passes through the chute 9 to the casing 2. Front 2
The goods are paid out to the goods payout exit 10 provided on the left side of the line a.

As described above, the vending machine 1 rotates the drum 6 by an angle (72 ° in the illustrated example) at which the hole 6a is provided, so that a large number of products 5 stored in the product storage room 3 can be stored. Is selectively paid out. In the present invention, the internal configuration of the product storage room 3 and the configuration relating to the portion for taking out the product 5 from the drum 6 and guiding it to the product payout port 10 may be the same as a conventional vending machine of the same type. Detailed description is omitted. The vending machine 1 of the present embodiment is capable of processing the inserted coins and the drum 6
There is a feature in a portion related to the rotational drive of the first embodiment, and the following description will focus on the feature portion.

As shown in FIG. 1, an operation lever 11 is provided at the right end of the front surface 2a of the housing 2. The front surface 2a of the housing 2 is curved so as to draw an arc bulging forward along the vertical direction (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and the operation lever 11 can be operated in the vertical direction along the curved front surface 2a. ing. The coin slot 1 is located on the left side of the operation range of the operation lever 11.
2 and a coin return slot 13 are provided. Coin slot 1
2 is the number of coins C corresponding to the sales amount of the product 5
(For example, two 100 yen coins).
The coin insertion slot 12 is formed to have a size including a minimum margin through which a regular coin C to be inserted can pass.
Therefore, other coins or the like having a larger diameter or thickness than the regular coin C cannot pass through the coin slot 12.

A coin collection port 14 is provided below the coin return port 13.
Is formed, and the coin collection box 15 is inserted therein. The coin collection box 15 is a container for storing regular coins C inserted from the coin insertion slot 12, and is disposed inside the housing 2 so as to extend straight toward the back of the housing 2 as shown in FIG. You. A lock 15a is attached to the front of the coin collection box 15, and when the lock 15a is engaged, the coin collection box 15 is locked.
Is fixed inside the housing 2, and when the lock 15 a is released, the coin collection box 15 can be pulled out to the front of the housing 2.

A payout control mechanism 20 is provided above the coin collection box 15 disposed in the housing 2. When viewed from the front side of the housing 2, the payout control mechanism 20 is arranged to be biased on the same side (right side) as the operation lever 11 with respect to the center line X of the drum 6. A chute 9 is arranged on the opposite side of the operation lever 11 with respect to the center line X inside the housing 2.

The payout control mechanism 20 further includes a motion transmission mechanism 20A and a coin processing mechanism 20B. The movement transmitting mechanism 20A is provided for transmitting the operation of the operation lever 11 to the drum 6 and the coin processing mechanism 20B, and the coin processing mechanism 20B is provided for processing coins inserted from the coin insertion slot 12. However, the two mechanisms 20A and 20B are interrelated in their operation. Hereinafter, details of the payout control mechanism 20 will be described.

FIGS. 5 to 7 show the main parts of the payout control mechanism 20, FIG. 5 is a view showing the state viewed from the direction of arrow V in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a view showing the state viewed from the left side of FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state viewed from the upper side of FIG. As is clear from these figures, the payout control mechanism 20 includes the sub-chassis 2
1 and a slider 30 provided along the sub-chassis 21. Both the sub-chassis 21 and the slider 30 are manufactured by processing a steel plate into a sheet metal, and the details thereof are as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, respectively. The thickness of the slider 30 is slightly larger than the thickness of the regular coin C. Sub chassis 21
Are fixed to the main chassis 16 (FIG. 1) inside the housing 2 using fixing means such as small screws 22 (FIG. 6) provided on the outer periphery thereof.
It is held upright and extended in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 3). The main chassis 16 is fixed at a fixed position in the housing 2.

The sub-chassis 21 is formed with three elongated slide grooves 21b extending in the front-rear direction. On the other hand, the slider 30 has:
The cam followers 31... By fitting each cam follower 31 into the slide groove 21b, the slider 30 is assembled to the sub-chassis 21 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. A coil spring 23 is hung between a hook 21c at the front end of the sub-chassis 21 and a hook 30a at the rear end of the slider 30 in a stretched state.
Is biased forward.

As is clear from FIG. 14, the slider 3
0 has a recess 30b for taking in coins. The recess 30 b opens at the upper end of the slider 30. The width W (see FIG. 14) of the recess 30b is set to a size obtained by adding a minimum allowance for receiving the coin to the diameter of the regular coin C, and the depth D of the recess 30b (see also FIG. 14). )
Is the upper coin C when two regular coins C are stacked up and down
Is set so as to protrude above the slider 30 by a predetermined amount. That is, the depth D of the recess 30b is smaller by a predetermined amount than twice the diameter of the regular coin C.

As is apparent from FIG. 5, when the slider 30 is located at the front end of the moving range, the upper end of the concave portion 30b is located immediately below the chute 17. Coin slot 12
The coin inserted from (see FIG. 1) is dropped into the recess 30b via the chute 17. As shown in detail in FIGS. 8 to 10, the coin guided to the recess 30 b is
A stopper 32 is attached to one side surface of the slider 30 (the surface that is not in close contact with the sub-chassis 21) so as not to fall to the side of 0b. The stopper 32 is also manufactured by sheet metal processing a steel plate.

As shown in detail in FIG.
Is rotatably attached to a lower portion of the slider 30 via a predetermined support shaft 33, and is movable back and forth integrally with the slider 30. A projection 32a is formed on the surface of the slider 30 facing the recess 30b. A lever-like operation portion 32b is formed at the lower end of the stopper 32, and the operation portion 32b
Is operated to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8, the projection 32a enters the recess 30b (see FIG. 10). In this case, the projection 32
The coin a does not enter the lower part of the concave portion 30b because of a.
That is, when the stopper 32 is switched to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8, only one coin enters the recess 30b. On the other hand, when the operation unit 32b is operated to the position indicated by the imaginary line in FIG.
The projection 32a is provided with an escape groove 30 provided in connection with the recess 30b.
c. In this case, two coins C are inserted vertically into the recess 30b.

When the projection 32a is extended into the recess 30b (as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8), the upper end of the projection 32a is
This corresponds to the upper end of the coin C when it is assumed that a regular coin C is stored in the lower part of b. Thus, regardless of whether only one regular coin C is inserted into the recess 30b by switching the stopper 32 or two coins are inserted, the position of the upper end of the coin C accommodated in the upper stage of the recess 30b is Matches.

In order to hold the stopper 32 at each of the two positions described above, the slider 30 is provided with a stopper (not shown) for limiting the rotation range of the stopper 32 between the solid line position and the imaginary line position in FIG. The hook 32c of the stopper 32 and the hook 30d of the slider 30 are provided.
And a coil spring 34 is attached between them. Stopper 3
2 is rotated around the support shaft 33, the coil spring 34 is stretched to a maximum at a predetermined position during the rotation, and the displacement of the coil spring 34 decreases after the position. Thus, regardless of whether the stopper 32 is switched to the position indicated by the solid line or the position indicated by the imaginary line in FIG. 8, the restoring force of the coil spring 34 acts as a force pressing the stopper 32 against the stopper.

As is apparent from FIG. 13, the sub-chassis 21 is provided with two holes 21d and 21e at a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 5, when the slider 30 is located at the front end of its moving range, the concave portion 30b of the slider 30 overlaps the hole 21d. An eject plate 25 is attached to the sub-chassis 21 in order to prevent coins from falling out of the hole 21d. As is clear from FIG.
Is a pair of upper and lower supports 2 provided on the sub-chassis 21.
It is attached between 1f and 21f so as to be rotatable about the support shaft 26 in the horizontal direction. Eject plate 2
When 5 is at the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 9, the lid 25a provided on the eject plate 25 fits into the hole 21d, whereby the recess 30b is closed from the sub-chassis 21 side. The eject plate 25 is urged by a spring means (not shown) to a position where the recess 30b is closed.

An arm 25b is integrally provided at the upper end of the eject plate 25, and a protruding shaft 25c is provided at the tip of the arm 25b. The protruding shaft 25c fits into a hole 27a provided at the rear end of the eject pin 27. The eject pin 27 is supported by the housing 2 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and an operation portion 27b at the tip (the left end in FIGS. 8 and 9) protrudes forward from the front surface 2a of the housing 2 (see FIG. 4). ).

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a lever portion 25d is formed below the eject plate 25, and a hole 30e is formed in the slider 30 corresponding to the lever portion 25d.
Are formed. The slider 30 has a stopper 3
An eject lever 35 is attached to the cover 2 so as to cover it from the outside. The eject lever 35 is a support shaft 35
The front end receiving portion 35c approaches the slider 30 by the force of the coil spring 36 (see FIG. 5) hung between the hook 35b and the hook 30e of the slider 30. And the ejecting section 3 at the rear end
5d is urged away from the slider 30.

When the slider 30 is located at the front end of the moving range, the receiving portion 35c of the eject lever 35 and the lever portion 25d of the eject plate 25 are formed with the hole 30e.
Oppose each other. In this state, when the operation portion 27b of the eject pin 27 is pushed toward the inside of the housing 2,
The eject plate 25 engaged with the eject pin 27 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 9 about the support shaft 26, thereby causing the lid 25 to rotate as shown by an imaginary line in FIG.
a is separated from the hole 21d of the sub-chassis 21 and a gap is formed between the lid 25a and the sub-chassis 21 through which coins can pass. At the same time, the lever part 25d of the eject plate 25 is pushed toward the receiving part 35c of the eject lever 35, and the two parts 25d and 35c come into contact, and the eject lever 35 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 9 around the support shaft 35a. I do.

As a result, the eject portion 35d of the eject lever 35 passes through the slit 32d of the stopper 32 and enters the recess 30b. As a result, if a coin is taken into the recess 30b, the coin is ejected by the eject portion 35.
d, and is discharged to the hole 21d of the sub-chassis 21, and further falls downward from the gap created between the sub-chassis 21 and the lid 25a. At this time, a chute 18 is provided in the coin falling range (see FIG. 6), and the dropped coin is discharged to the coin return slot 13. When the stopper 32 is switched to any of the two positions described above, the eject portion 35d is
The stopper 32 is formed with two slits 32d, 32d so that it can enter the inside.

A protrusion 30f is provided at the upper end of the front portion of the slider 30.
Is provided. On the other hand, the pin 2
A lock lever 28 rotatable around 8a is attached. The rear end of the lock lever 28 is pulled up by the coil spring 29 so that the front lock portion 28 b is pressed against the upper end of the slider 30. When the slider 30 is located at the front end of its movement range, there is some gap between the lock lever 28 and the protrusion 30f of the slider 30. When the regular coin C is stored in the upper part of the concave portion 30b of the slider 30, the lock lever 28 is pushed up at the upper end of the coin C with the retreat of the slider 30 as shown in FIG. The lock portion 28b moves to a position higher than the protruding portion 30f, and further retreating of the slider 30 is allowed.

As is apparent from FIG. 5, when the slider 30 further retreats, the concave portion 30b overlaps the hole 21e of the sub-chassis 21, and the concave portion 30b is
Open to the side. Since the eject plate 25 is attached to the sub-chassis 21, it does not move backward. When the recess 30b is retracted to a position where the recess 30b overlaps the hole 21e, the eject lever 35 is
, And rotates in the same direction as when the eject pin 27 is pushed in. Thus, the coin C stored in the recess 30b of the slider 30
Is pushed out toward the hole 21e. The chute 18 leading to the coin return port 13 ends before the hole 21e, and the coin C discharged from the hole 21e falls into the coin collection box 15 arranged below.

On the other hand, when the regular coin C is not stored in the upper part of the recess 30b of the slider 30, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), when a coin C 'having a small diameter is accommodated in the upper part of the concave portion 30b, the lock lever 28 is not sufficiently pushed up even if the slider 30 retreats, and the lock portion 28b is moved to the projecting portion 30f. , And further retraction of the slider 30 is prevented. As a result, the coin C 'having a small diameter cannot reach the position of the hole 21e. As described above, the amount of backward movement of the slider 30 changes according to the appropriateness of the diameter of the coin C, and the coin C having an incorrect diameter is returned to the coin return port 13 via the chute 18 from the hole 21d. Disappears.

The sliding operation of the slider 30 described above is realized by operating the operation lever 11. Hereinafter, a mechanism for causing the slider 30 to slide and rotate the drum 6 using the operation of the operation lever 11 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a fan-shaped main gear 40 is provided inside the housing 2. The main gear 40 is mounted on the housing 2 so as to be rotatable about a support shaft 41, and is urged to rotate clockwise in FIG. 5 by a torsion coil spring 42 mounted on the outer periphery of the support shaft 41. The main gear 40 is manufactured by processing a steel plate into a sheet metal, and has a tooth portion 40a formed on an outer periphery thereof. At the front end of the outer periphery of the main gear 40, a lever mounting portion 40b is formed. The lever mounting portion 40b is a slit 2b provided on the front surface 2a of the housing 2 (see FIG. 4).
, And the operation lever 11 described above is fixed to the protruding portion. Therefore, the operation lever 11 is urged toward the upper end of the operation range by the force of the torsion coil spring 42. Accordingly, when the operating lever 11 is pressed down against the force of the torsion coil spring 42, the main gear 40 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. As is apparent from this, the operation of pressing down the operation lever 11 is, in effect, torsion of the main gear 40 by the coil spring 42.
The operation is to rotate around the support shaft 41 against the restoring force.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the support shafts 43 and 44 are fixed to the upper portion of the
An intermediate gear 45 is mounted on 3, and a pinion 46 is mounted on the support shaft 44. The gears 45 and 46 are
It is rotatable with respect to 44. Tooth 4 of main gear 40
0a meshes with the intermediate gear 45, and the intermediate gear 45 meshes with the pinion 46. The slider 47 has a rack 47
Are fixed along the front-rear direction, and the pinion 46 meshes with the rack 47. Therefore, when the main gear 40 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 5 in accordance with the pressing operation of the operation lever 11, the intermediate gear 45 rotates the pinion 4 in the clockwise direction in FIG.
6 rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5, respectively, and the rotation of the pinion 46 is converted by the rack 47 into a rectilinear linear movement to generate the retreating movement of the slider 30. When the operator releases the operating lever 11, the main gear 40 rotates clockwise in FIG. 5 by the force of the torsion coil spring 42, and the operating lever 11 returns to the upper end of its operating range.

As described with reference to FIG. 11, when the regular coin C is not stored in the upper part of the concave portion 30b of the slider 30, the retreating movement of the slider 30 is restricted by the lock lever 28. In this case, the operation lever 11 can also be pushed only halfway down the operation range. On the contrary, when the regular coin C is stored in the upper part of the concave portion 30b of the slider 30, the retreating movement of the slider 30 is allowed, and the operation lever 11 can be pushed down to the lower end of the operation range.

As shown in FIG. 6, a drum drive gear 48 is rotatably mounted on the support shaft 43. The drum drive gear 48 meshes with teeth 6 b... 6 b formed on the outer periphery on the lower surface side of the drum 6. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a gear driving claw 50 is attached to a side surface of the intermediate gear 45 facing the drum driving gear 48. On the other hand, a boss 48a is integrally formed on a side surface of the drum drive gear 48 facing the intermediate gear 45, and a projection 48b is formed at one position on the outer periphery of the boss 48a. The side that continues clockwise from the vertex of the protrusion 48b is formed as a gentle slope, and the opposite side is formed as a wall that rises almost straight in the radial direction. Therefore, when the intermediate gear 45 rotates clockwise in FIG. 5, the gear driving claw 50 and the projection 48b are connected to each other as shown in FIG.
5, the drum drive gear 48 rotates clockwise in FIG. 5, and as a result, the drum 6 rotates counterclockwise in FIG.
On the other hand, when the intermediate gear 45 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5, the gear driving claw 50 gets over the protrusion 48b as shown in FIG. Is not transmitted.

Drum drive gear 48 and teeth 6b of drum 6
Is set such that the drum 6 rotates by the angular pitch of the hole 6a when the drum drive gear 48 makes one rotation. That is, each time the operation lever 11 is pressed down to rotate the drum 6 by the angular pitch of the hole 6a, the drum drive gear 48 makes one rotation clockwise in FIG. 5 and stops at the position shown in FIG. When the slider 30 is at the front end of the moving range, that is, when the operating lever 11 is at the upper end of the moving range, the gear driving claw 50 and the projection 48
b is separated by a predetermined angle α (see FIG. 5), and when the operation lever 11 is pressed down by an angle corresponding to the angle α, the gear driving claw 50 and the projection 48b engage to rotate the drum driving gear 48. To start. When the operation lever 11 is further pushed down from the rotation start position to the lower end of the movement range, the intermediate gear 45 and the drum drive gear 48 make one rotation. Thereafter, when the operation lever 11 is returned to the upper end by the force of the torsion coil spring 42, the intermediate gear 45 is rotated by 360 ° in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. Return to During this time, the gear driving pawl 50 slides on the drum driving gear 4
8 does not rotate.

As described above, the payout control mechanism 2 of the present embodiment
At 0, even if the operation lever 11 is pressed down,
Until the intermediate gear 45 rotates by the angle α, the rotation of the drum 6 is suspended. When the state where the operation lever 11 is held at the upper end is set as a base point, the operation amount until the drum 6 starts rotating is determined by the engagement of the lock lever 28 with the protrusion 30f of the slider 30 (see FIG. 11). The operation amount of the operation lever 11 until the retraction operation of the slider 30 is stopped is set to be larger than the operation amount. Therefore, the drum 6 starts rotating after the regular coin C is accommodated in the recess 30b of the slider 30 and the blocking of the lock lever 28 from retreating the slider 30 is released. When a coin having a small diameter is inserted, the lock lever 28 engages with the slider 30 before the drum 6 rotates, and the operation lever 11 cannot be further depressed.

The following is a summary of the operation of the vending machine 1 related to the delivery of goods described above. In addition,
The administrator of the vending machine 1 needs to refill the product storage room 3 with the product 5 in preparation for the sale and switch the position of the stopper 32 according to the sales amount of the product 5.

When the purchaser of the product 5 inserts the number of coins (one or two) according to the sales amount of the product 5 from the coin insertion slot 12, the coin is transferred via the chute 17 to the slider 3.
0 in the recess 30b. Eject pin 2 if you want to stop purchasing product 5 or if you accidentally insert a coin
7, the lid 25 a of the eject plate 25 is opened, the eject portion 35 d of the eject lever 35 enters the concave portion 30 b, and coins are returned from the slider 30 through the hole 21 d of the sub-chassis 21 and the chute 18. Returned to 13.

When the operation lever 11 is depressed after the coin is inserted, the movement is transmitted to the rack 47 via the main gear 40, the intermediate gear 45 and the pinion 46, and the slider 30 starts retreating. If the regular coin C is stored in the upper part of the concave portion 30b, the lock lever 28 is pushed up with the retreat of the slider 30, and the lock portion 28b
The restriction on the retraction of the slider 30 due to is released. on the other hand,
When the regular coin C is not accommodated in the upper part of the concave portion 30b, the lock lever 28 is not sufficiently pushed up, and the lock portion 28b and the protruding portion 30f of the slider 30 interfere with each other, so that the retreat of the slider 30 is restricted.

When the slider 30 retreats beyond the retraction limit position of the slider 30 by the lock lever 28, the gear driving claw 50 of the intermediate gear 45 engages with the projection 4 of the drum driving gear 48.
8b, and the rotation drive of the drum 6 via the drum drive gear 48 is started. When the operation lever 11 is further pushed down, the coin C in the concave portion 30 b is
When transported to the position 1e, the eject lever 35 is driven, the eject portion 35d enters the concave portion 30b, and the coin C in the concave portion 30b falls into the coin collection box 15 through the hole 21e. At this time, the operation lever 11 is in the middle of the operation range. When the operation lever 11 is operated to the lower end of the operation range, the drum 6 is moved to the hole 6a.
Is rotated by an angle corresponding to the pitch of, and a single commodity 5 randomly selected from the commodity storage room 3 is paid out to the commodity payout port 10 through the chute 9.

When the purchaser releases the operation lever 11 after dispensing the commodity 5, the main gear 40 returns to the position before the operation by the force of the torsion coil spring 42, and accordingly the operation lever 11 moves to the position within the operation range. Return to top.

In the above embodiment, the drum 6 corresponds to a product selection member, the main gear 40 corresponds to a main drive member, the drum drive gear 48 corresponds to a drive gear, and the intermediate gear 45 and the gear drive claw 50 correspond to transmission members. I do.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but may be implemented in various forms. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the operation lever 11 is moved up and down so as to draw an arc around the support shaft 41.
May be formed in a plane, and the operation lever 11 may be linearly moved in the vertical direction. In this case, the linear motion of the operation lever 11 may be converted into a rotary motion using a rack and pinion mechanism, a link mechanism, or the like, and the rotary motion may be transmitted to the outer periphery of the drum 6. The transmission of the rotational motion to the drum 6 is not limited to the gear, but may use other power transmission means such as friction transmission.

In the above embodiment, the motion transmission mechanism 2
0A indicates the movement input to the operation lever 11 as an operation member by the main gear 40, the intermediate gear 45, and the gear driving claw 5;
And a coin drive for transmitting the movement of the operation lever 11 to the slider 30 via the main gear 40, the intermediate gear 45, the pinion 46, and the rack 47. Although a driving unit is included, the specific configuration of each unit may be variously changed.

The coin processing mechanism 20B includes a slider (holding member) 3 having a concave portion 30b as a coin accommodating portion.
0, a sub-chassis 21 as a support member for supporting the slider 30 in a predetermined transport direction (the front-rear direction in the illustrated example), a cam follower 31 and a slide groove 21b as means for guiding the slider 30, and A stopper 32 serving as a number limiting member for limiting the number of coins accommodated in the recess 30b while restricting falling of coins being fixed, and an eject lever 35 serving as a coin removing member for removing coins from the recess 30b. When the slider 30 is at the initial position (standby position when the operation lever 11 is not operated), the eject lever 25 is operated by operating the eject lever 35 to remove coins from the concave portion, and the concave portion 30b. And a lock position for restricting the retreat operation of the slider 30 in accordance with the amount of coin projection It is assumed that includes a locking lever 28 serving as a locking member to be displaced between a release position for releasing, it can be modified as required even for some or all of these. For example, the transport direction of coins is not limited to the front-back direction of the housing. Further, in the above embodiment, the coin collection box 15 is provided as a coin storage unit, but the shape and size thereof can be variously changed. One or two coins are selectively accommodated in the recess 30b of the slider 30. For example, by changing the depth D of the recess 30b, a predetermined number of three or more coins and a The number of coins to be stored may be switchable between.

In the above embodiment, the position where the concave portion 30b of the slider 30 as the holding member is directly below the chute 17 is the position where the coin inserted from the coin insertion slot is received in the concave portion, and the concave portion 30b of the slider 30 is The position where the hole 21e of the chassis 21 overlaps corresponds to the position where the coin in the concave portion is transferred to a predetermined coin storage unit.
As for the lock lever 28 as a lock member, a position where the lock portion 28b is engaged with the protrusion 30f (FIG. 11).
The position shown in (b) corresponds to the lock position, and the position where the lock portion 28b has escaped to the upper end of the protruding portion 30f (the position shown in FIG. 11A) corresponds to the release position. Regarding the stopper 32 as the number limiting member, the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8 corresponds to the limit position, and the position indicated by the imaginary line in FIG. 8 corresponds to the release position.

[0060]

As described above, in the present invention, coins are accommodated in the concave portion of the holding member in a state of being connected in the radial direction, so that the coins protrude from the concave portion regardless of the number of coins accommodated in the concave portion. The coin that contacts the lock member is one,
Correspondingly, only one lock member needs to be provided. Moreover, regardless of whether the number switching member is switched to the limit position or the release position, as long as the regular coins are correctly inserted by the number specified by the number switching member,
The amount of coin protruding from the recess is equal. Therefore, no matter which position the number switching member is switched to, the authenticity of the coin can be correctly determined by the single lock member, and the restriction of the movement of the holding member and the release of the restriction can be appropriately switched. Therefore, a mechanism for responding to a change in the sales amount can be simplified. In addition, even when the lock member is pressed against the holding member, the pressing force is smaller than when the plurality of lock members are pressed against the holding member, so that the resistance to the movement of the holding member can be reduced, and thereby the operation member can be reduced. It can also contribute to a reduction in operating power.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration on a front side of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, together with some internal mechanisms.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration on the left side of the vending machine in FIG. 1 together with some internal mechanisms.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration on the right side of the vending machine in FIG. 1 together with some internal mechanisms.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vending machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view showing the internal mechanism of the vending machine as viewed from the direction of arrow V in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view showing the internal mechanism of the vending machine as viewed from the left side in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view showing the internal mechanism of the vending machine as viewed from above in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state where a main part of the coin processing mechanism is viewed from the same direction as in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a main part of the coin processing mechanism as viewed from above in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a main part of the coin processing mechanism as viewed from the left side of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a view showing a coin authenticity determining operation in the coin processing mechanism.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the operation of the motion transmission mechanism.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing details of a sub-chassis.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing details of a slider.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 2 Casing 2a Front of casing 3 Commodity storage room 5 Commodity 6 Drum (commodity selection member) 6b Drum tooth 9 Chute 10 Commodity payout port 11 Operation lever 12 Coin slot 13 Coin return port 14 Coin collection Mouth 15 Coin collection box (coin storage unit) 16 Main chassis 17 Chute 18 Chute 20 Dispensing control mechanism 20A Motion transmission mechanism 20B Coin processing mechanism 21 Sub-chassis (support member) 21d, 21e Hole 25 Eject plate (exclusion drive member) 25a Lid 27 Eject pin 28 Lock lever (lock member) 30 Slider (holding member) 30b Recess 30c Escape groove 31 Cam follower 32 Stopper (number switching member) 32a Stopper projection 32d Slit (hole) 35 Eject lever (coin removing member) 40 Main gear 45 Intermediate gear 46 Pinion 47 Rack 48 Drum drive gear 48b Projection 50 Gear drive claw C Regular coin X Center line of drum

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hideyuki Tsujimoto 4-3-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Konami Corporation F-term (reference) 3E044 AA01 BA01 CC01 FA05 FA13 FB07 FB08 FB17

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine for generating a product payout operation by using an operation member operated by a product purchaser, wherein a concave portion capable of accommodating two or more predetermined number of coins in a radial direction is provided. A holding member movable between a position for receiving coins inserted from a coin insertion slot into the concave portion and a position for transferring coins in the concave portion to a predetermined coin storage portion in conjunction with the operation member. And provided so as to be able to come into contact with a coin projecting radially from the recess in the middle of the movement path of the holding member, and in accordance with an amount of the coin projecting from the recess, the transfer position of the holding member. Lock position to prevent movement toward
A lock member that is displaceable between a release position allowing the movement of the holding member, and a lock member that is provided so as to move integrally with the holding member, protrudes into the recess, and reduces the number of coins accommodated in the recess. A number switching member operable to switch between a limit position to limit and a release position to release the limit, a normal coin having a correct diameter in the recess by switching the number switch member to the limit position. And the projecting amount of the coin from the recess when the limited number of coins are accommodated, and the recess when the predetermined number of regular coins are accommodated in the recess by switching the number switching member to the release position. Vending machine wherein the amount of protrusion of the coin is set to be equal. 2. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the holding member is formed in a plate shape, and the concave portion is formed by cutting out the holding member. It is provided so as to be movable between the release position and cover the concave portion from the one side surface, and on the surface of the number switching member facing the concave portion, when switching the number switching member to the limit position, The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion that protrudes into a concave portion and retreats in an escape groove provided in connection with the concave portion of the holding member when the holding member is switched to the release position is provided. 3. The holding member is movable between a position for receiving the coins and a position for receiving the coins by a support member disposed on the opposite side of the number switching member with respect to the holding member. The supporting member is provided with a hole portion that is connected to the concave portion of the holding member and enables the coin to be removed from the concave portion when the holding member moves to the receiving position and the transferring position, respectively. The holding member is provided with a coin removing member that is disposed outside the number switching member and that can come and go in the recess through a hole provided in the number switching member. Item 5. A vending machine according to item 2. 4. When the holding member is at the receiving position, an elimination driving member capable of engaging with the coin elimination member and driving the coin elimination member in the direction to enter the recess is provided from outside the vending machine. The vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the coin is operably provided, and the coin removed from the recess by the coin removing member at the receiving position is guided to a predetermined coin return slot. 5. The lid according to claim 4, wherein the reject drive member is provided with a lid for closing the recess, and the lid moves so as to open the recess as the coin removing member is driven. Vending machine. 6. When the holding member is at the transfer position, the coin removing member is driven in a direction to enter the concave portion to remove the coin from the concave portion to the coin storage portion. Item 6. A vending machine according to any one of Items 3 to 5. 7. A product selection member driven to select any one of a number of products stored in a product storage room, and movement of the operation member is transmitted to the holding member and the product selection member, respectively. And a motion transmission mechanism configured to suspend motion transmission to the product selection member while the operation member is operated from its operation start position to a predetermined drive start position. The operation position of the operation member when the movement of the holding member is prevented by the lock member is set closer to the operation start position than the drive start position. 7. The vending machine according to any one of claims 6 to 6. 8. The automatic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said holding member is linearly movable between a position for receiving said coins and a position for receiving said coins. Vending machine.