JP2003085639A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine capable of surely detecting a commodity carried out to a commodity acceptor by using a photosensor even in the case of vending light-transmissive commodities. SOLUTION: The commodities inside a commodity bucket 40 are detected by first - third sensors 72, 73 and 74 composed of the photosensor, and the first and third sensors 72 and 74 are respectively provided on a height position close to a commodity mounting surface (an upper surface of a belt 62) inside the commodity bucket 40. Thus, since a bottom surface side of a side face of a beverage container such as a PET bottle like a commodity C is often formed in a rounded curved shape, even when it is the light-transmissive commodity such as mineral water put in a transparent PET bottle, detection light of the photosensor is refracted by the curved part and does not reach a light receiving part side of the sensor and the commodity is surely detected similarly to non-light-transmissive commodity.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to various shapes and sizes of beverages enclosed in cans, bottles, PET bottles or paper packs, dairy products and confectionery contained in predetermined containers such as cups. The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine capable of selling a product having a.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an automatic vending machine of this type, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-82171, an automatic vending machine main body having a product outlet at a lower front portion thereof and an automatic vending machine main body A plurality of product columns arranged in the width direction and the vertical direction, a product bucket arranged in front of each product column so as to be movable in the width direction and the vertical direction of the vending machine body, and the product bucket There is known one provided with a moving mechanism for moving in the width direction and the vertical direction.

In this vending machine, when a product is selected, the product bucket moves to the product column corresponding to the selected product by the moving mechanism, and the product in the product column is pushed from the rear by the pushing member to be in the product bucket. The product bucket that has received the product is moved to the product outlet by the moving mechanism, and the product in the product bucket is delivered to the product outlet.

[0004]

By the way, the above-mentioned vending machine requires product detection means for detecting the products carried out from the product column into the product bucket, and the product detection means is a predetermined height position in the product bucket. It is generally constituted by an optical sensor arranged at. On the other hand, the vending machine may sell a light-transmissive product such as mineral water in a transparent container. However, since such a product transmits the light detected by the optical sensor, it cannot be detected by the optical sensor. There are cases. In such a case, there is a problem in that a product is not carried out into the product bucket, and subsequent products are carried out one after another, resulting in a malfunction.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to use an optical sensor for a product delivered to a product receiver even when selling a light transmissive product. It is to provide an automatic vending machine that can be reliably detected.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides, in claim 1, an automatic vending machine main body having a product outlet at a predetermined position, and a widthwise direction and a vertical direction of the automatic vending machine main body. A plurality of product columns arranged in at least one direction, a product carry-out mechanism that is provided in each product column and carries out the products in the product column in a predetermined direction, and a product that can receive the products carried out from each product column Equipped with a receiver and a moving mechanism that moves the product receiver in the arrangement direction of each product column. The moving mechanism moves the product receiver to any product column, and the product unloading mechanism receives the product in the product column. In a vending machine in which the product receiver that carries the product into the body and receives the product is moved to the product outlet by the moving mechanism, the product is carried out from the product column side to the product receiver. A merchandise transfer mechanism for placing the placed merchandise and moving it to the merchandise receiver side and a merchandise detection means for detecting the merchandise on the merchandise reception side of the merchandise receptor are provided, and the merchandise detection means is provided on the merchandise placement surface It is composed of optical sensors located close to each other.

Thus, for example, a beverage container such as a PET bottle is often formed in a curved shape with a rounded bottom side, but the product detection means including an optical sensor is a product placement surface on the product receptor side. Since it is located at a height close to, even if it is a light-transmissive product such as mineral water in a transparent plastic bottle, the detection light of the optical sensor is refracted by the curved portion and the light receiving part of the sensor. Not reach the side,
It is detected in the same way as products that are not light-transmissive.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, the commodity receiver is configured to receive the commodity column side commodity from one end side and carry it out from the other end side to the commodity outlet. However, the product detection means is provided on one end side and the other end side of the product receiver, respectively.

Thus, in addition to the function of the first aspect, not only is the product detection means provided at one end of the product receiver detected that the product has been unloaded from the product column, but also the other end of the product receiver is detected. It is possible to determine whether or not the product has been carried out to the product outlet because the product detection means provided also detects the transfer of the product from the product receiver to the product outlet.

[0010]

1 to 22 show an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine according to the present embodiment includes a vending machine body 10 having a transparent front part, a plurality of product columns 20 arranged in the width direction and the vertical direction of the vending machine body 10, and each product. The product carry-out mechanism 30 provided in each of the columns 20, the product bucket 40 as a product receiver that can receive the product A carried out from each product column 20, and the product bucket 40 are moved in the arrangement direction of each product column 20. And a bucket moving mechanism 80.

The vending machine body 10 has an opening except for the lower part of the front surface, and this opening is covered with a transparent glass plate 10a. A product outlet 11 is provided at the lower front portion of the vending machine body 10, and a bill slot 12, a coin slot 13, an amount display unit 14, a coin return port 15, and a product selection operation unit 16 are provided on one side of the front face. Is provided. The inside of the vending machine body 10 may be cooled or heated to a predetermined temperature according to the type of the product for sale, or may be kept at room temperature. Further, when the product bucket 40 comes into contact with the inside of the vending machine body 10, a heat insulating partition plate is provided so that a part of the product bucket 40 can move upward together with the product bucket 40. It may be cooled.

Each product column 20 has a column main body 21 extending in the front-rear direction, and is provided in the vending machine main body 10 so as to be pulled out forward. In addition, product column 20
Although the detailed description of the pull-out structure is omitted, it can be configured by using, for example, a well-known slide rail. The product column 20 includes a partition plate 22 that partitions the inside of the column body 21 in the width direction, and the partition plate 22 is detachably attached to a substrate 23 provided in the center of the column body 21 in the width direction. In this case, the partition plate 22 can be attached to any position in the width direction of the product column 20. Also,
Each product column 20 is supported by a shelf 24 extending in the width direction for each vertical direction, and each shelf 24 is predetermined in the vertical direction by a plurality of columns 25 standing upright on both sides in the width direction inside the vending machine body 10. It is fixed in position.

Two product discharge mechanisms 30 are provided in each of the product columns 20, and the product discharge mechanisms 30 are arranged in the column body 21 in the width direction. Each product unloading mechanism 30 has a pair of pulleys 31 rotatably attached to the front end side and the rear end side of the column body 21, an endless belt 32 wound around each pulley 31, and a front end side. A gear 33 is attached to the rotary shaft of the pulley 31, and the product A is placed on the upper surface of the belt 32. That is, in each product column 20, the product A is stored in two rows with the partition plate 22 interposed therebetween. Further, a product locking plate 32a is erected at a predetermined position on the belt 32, and the product locking plate 32a is positioned on the belt 32 on the rear end side of the apparatus main body as shown in FIG. Are placed in a line. That is, when the product A is carried out, the product locking plate 32a moves forward together with the product A.

Further, a total of two vertically movable commodity guards 26 are provided at one end side (commodity carry-out side) of each commodity column 20, and each commodity guard 26 is provided in each commodity column 20.
Are arranged so as to correspond to the respective product unloading mechanisms 30 of. One end side of the product guard 26 extends in the width direction of the product column 20, and the upper surface thereof is formed in a flat shape. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the other end of the product guard 26 is on the product column 2
It extends to the side of 0 and is movably supported in the vertical direction by mounting members 27 provided on the side surfaces of the commodity column 20, respectively. In this case, a spring 28 that biases the product guard 26 upward is provided in the mounting member 27, and the product guard 2
6 is held in the upper standby position by the spring 28. In this case, the upper standby position of the product guard 26 is a position where the product A in the product column 20 can be prevented from falling in the carry-out direction. Further, the product guard 26 is provided with a locking portion 26a projecting to the product bucket 40 side, and the locking member 26a is pressed downward by a pressing member 50 on the product bucket 40 side described later, whereby the product guard 26
Moves between the belt 32 on the product column 20 side and the belt 62 on the product bucket 40 side, and the upper surface of the product guard 26 is positioned at substantially the same height as the upper surfaces of the belts 32, 62. .

As shown in FIG. 7, the product bucket 40 includes a pair of drive units 41 which are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The drive units 41 are formed symmetrically and operate independently. It is configured to be able to. Each drive unit 41 is a product bucket 40.
Unit case 42 forming the side wall of each product column 20
Drive gear 43 that drives the product discharge mechanism 30, a first gear 44 that meshes with the drive gear 43, a second gear 45 that meshes with the first gear 44, and these gears 43, 44,
An arm 46 that supports 45 and a first motor 48 that rotates the drive gear 43 via the gears 44, 45 and a plurality of other gears 47 are provided. Incidentally, in FIG. 7, since the inside of one drive unit 41 is shown, the unit case 42
Are partially omitted. Further, in FIG. 8, the first motor 4
Although 8 and each gear 47 are omitted, they are arranged as shown in FIG. 9 when viewed from the opposite side of FIG. Each gear 4
3, 44 and 45 have the same diameter and the same number of teeth, and are rotatably attached to the arm 46. The arm 46 is formed in an L shape, and the drive gear 43 is arranged on one end side thereof. Further, the second gear 45 is arranged on the other end side of the arm 46, and the first gear 44 is arranged between the second gear 45 and the drive gear 43. The other end of the arm 46 is rotatably attached to the unit case 42 via a support shaft 46a, and is rotated about the same fulcrum as the second gear 45. Also,
As shown in FIG. 9, one end of a shaft 49 extending to the other drive unit 41 is connected to the second gear 45, and the other end of the shaft 49 is connected to a second gear (not shown) of the other drive unit 41. It is connected. That is, the other drive unit 41 is not provided with a drive source corresponding to the first motor 48 and a part of the gear 47, and the motor 48 of the one drive unit 41 causes the second gear of each drive unit 41 to move. 45 rotate in synchronization with each other via a shaft 49.

The drive unit 41 also includes a push-down member 50 for moving the product guards 26 of each product column 20 downward.
A first gear 51 that meshes with the pressing member 50, a swing member 52 that meshes with the arm 46 and the first gear 51, a second gear 53 that meshes with the swing member 52, and a second gear 5
A third gear 54 that meshes with the third gear 54, a fourth gear 55 that meshes with the third gear 54, a fifth gear 56 that rotates integrally with the fourth gear 55, and a sixth gear that meshes with the fifth gear 56. Gear 57 and a seventh gear 58 meshing with the sixth gear 57
And the second motor 5 that drives the arm 46 and the pressing member 50 via the swing member 52 and the gears 51, 53 to 58.
And the seventh gear 58 is attached to the rotation shaft of the second motor 59.

The push-down member 50 has an engaging portion 50a on the upper end side capable of engaging with the product guard 26, and is provided movably in the vertical direction with the engaging portion 50a protruding outside the unit case 42. ing. That is, the pressing member 50 has the pins 50b on the upper end side and the lower end side of one side surface, and each pin 50b is provided on the unit case 42 as the first and second pins.
Are movably engaged with the grooves 42a and 42b. In this case, the upper end side of the first groove 42a with which the upper end side pin 50b engages is formed to extend obliquely upward in the opposite direction of the product column 20, and the second end with which the lower end side pin 50b engages. Groove 42b is formed so as to extend in the vertical direction. As a result, in the lower moving range of the pressing member 50, the locking portion 50a moves up and down while protruding from the unit case 42 toward the product column 20, but in the upper moving range, as the locking portion 50a moves upward. It moves to the unit case 42 side, and finally the locking portion 50a moves to a position where it does not project from one end surface (the surface on the product column side 20) of the product bucket 40. The pressing member 50 has a rack 50c extending in the vertical direction, and an external gear 51a (pinion) of the first gear 51 meshes with the rack 50c.

The swing member 52 is formed in a substantially fan shape, and the support shaft 5
It is rotatably attached to the unit case 42 via 2a. The swing member 52 is provided with first and second fan-shaped gears 52b and 52c formed in a fan shape around the support shaft 52a, and the first fan-shaped gear 52b meshes with the internal gear 51b of the first gear 51. The second fan gear 52c meshes with the internal gear 53a of the second gear 53. Swing member 52
Has a movable portion 52d rotatable about a support shaft 52a,
The movable portion 52d is held at a predetermined position by the spring 52e. As a result, the movable portion 52d operates integrally with the swing member 52 unless it receives an external force against the spring 52e. In addition, the movable portion 52d has a third fan gear 5
2f is provided, and the third fan gear 52f meshes with a fan gear 46b provided on the other end side of the arm 46.
The fourth gear 55 is a worm gear provided coaxially with the fifth gear 56, and is an internal gear 54 a of the third gear 54.
It meshes with the (worm wheel). The external gear 54b of the third gear 54 is the external gear 53 of the second gear 53.
It meshes with b. The fourth and fifth gears 55, 56 have a rotating shaft 55a extending in the vertical direction, and the upper end surface of the rotating shaft 55a is exposed from the upper surface of the unit case 42 to the outside. Further, a groove 55b for screwdriver engagement similar to the head of a screw is provided on the upper end surface of the rotary shaft 55a so that it can be arbitrarily rotated from the outside by, for example, a Phillips screwdriver.

A total of two product transfer mechanisms 60 arranged side by side in the width direction are arranged between each drive unit 41, and each product transfer mechanism 60 is driven by each drive unit 41. . The product transfer mechanism 60 is
A pair of pulleys 61 rotatably attached to the front end side and the rear end side of the product bucket 40, an endless belt 62 wound around each pulley 61, and one pulley 6
1 and a gear 63 attached to the rotary shaft, and the product A is placed on the upper surface of the belt 62.
Each drive unit 41 includes a first gear 64 that meshes with the gear 63 of the pulley 61, a second gear 65 that meshes with the first gear 64, and a third gear 66 that meshes with the second gear 65.
And a fourth gear 67 that meshes with the third gear 66, and a third motor 68 that drives the pulley 61 via the gears 63 to 67, and the fourth gear 67 corresponds to the third motor 68. It is attached to the rotating shaft. In this case, the third motor 6
The rotation speed of 8 is set so that the conveyance speed of the belt 62 of the commodity transfer mechanism 60 is about 1.5 times faster than the belt 32 on the commodity column 20 side. Further, the belt 62
Is made of a material whose surface has a friction coefficient larger than that of the belt 32 on the product column 20 side.

Each drive unit 41 also has a product guard 70 for preventing the products contained in the product bucket 40 from falling.
Is equipped with. The product guard 70 is composed of a plate-shaped member whose one end extends in the width direction of the product bucket 40, and is attached to the drive unit 41 so as to be vertically movable. That is, a total of two pins 70a arranged vertically above each other are provided on the other end of the product guard 70, and each pin 70a is movably inserted into a long hole 42c provided in the unit case 42. Each pin 70a is connected to an auxiliary plate 71 arranged in the unit case 42, and the auxiliary plate 71 prevents the commodity guard 70 from falling out of the long hole 42c. The upper pin 70a is connected to the swing member 52 in the unit case 42, and the swing of the swing member 52 causes the commodity guard 70 to move up and down along the long hole 42c. In this case, the upper end side and the lower end side of the long hole 42c are formed so as to extend in the vertical direction, and the intermediate portion thereof is formed so as to extend obliquely upward in the direction opposite to the product column 20.

Further, each drive unit 41 serves as a first product detecting means for detecting the product A in the product bucket 40.
Through third sensors 72, 73, 74. Each sensor 72, 73, 74 is composed of an optical sensor facing each other between the drive units 41, and includes first and second sensors 72, 7
3 is one end side of the product bucket 40 (product column 2)
0 side), the third sensor 74 is located in the product bucket 4
It is arranged on the other end side of 0 (the side opposite to the product column 20). In this case, the first and third sensors 72, 74 are provided at height positions (for example, about 1 cm above the upper surface of the belt 62) close to the upper surface of the product transfer mechanism 60, and the second sensor 73 is A position above the first sensor 72 (for example, about several cm above the upper surface of the belt 62)
It is provided in.

A micro switch 75 that comes into contact with the swinging member 52 is provided in each drive unit 41. By detecting the position of the swinging member 52 by the micro switch 75, the arm 46 and the pressing member 50 are respectively moved to predetermined positions. It is supposed to be stopped at. A reinforcing member 76 extending in the width direction of the product bucket 40 is provided on the other end side of the upper portion of the product bucket 40, and the reinforcing member 76 is attached so as to connect the upper ends of the drive units 41 to each other.

The bucket moving mechanism 80 is used for the product bucket 4.
A first drive unit 81 for moving 0 in the width direction and a pair of second drive units 8 for moving the first drive unit 81 in the vertical direction.
2 and each of the second drive units 82 is arranged on both sides in the width direction inside the vending machine 10. The first drive unit 81 includes a pair of upper and lower guide rails 81a and 81b that movably support the product bucket 40 and a motor (not shown) that moves the product bucket 40. The upper guide rail 81a is a product bucket. The roller 77 is attached to the upper end of the roller 40. Also, the second
The driving unit 82 includes a guide rail 82a that movably supports the first driving unit 81 and a motor (not shown) that moves the first driving unit 81. In this bucket moving mechanism 80, the position of each product column 20 in the width direction and the vertical direction is detected by a position detection means such as an optical sensor or a pulse detection means of a motor, thereby moving the product bucket 40 to each drive part 81. By 82, the product is moved to any product column 20 or product outlet 11.

In the vending machine configured as described above, when money is inserted and a product is selected, the product bucket 40 is moved by the bucket moving mechanism 80 to the product column 20 corresponding to the selected product, Bucket 40
The drive unit 41 of 1 operates. At that time, when the product bucket 40 moves to the product column 20, the product bucket 4
The belt 62 on the 0 side is positioned at the same height as the belt 32 on the product column 20 side. Also, the product A is displayed in the product column 20.
Are stored in two rows in the width direction, only the drive unit 41 corresponding to the row in which the selected product is stored operates.

Now, the operation of the drive unit 41 will be described. First, when the product bucket 40 moves to an arbitrary product column 20, the second motor 59 operates, and the arm 46 of the drive gear 43, the pressing member 50, and the product guard 70 operate as shown in FIG. 11. That is, when the second motor 59 rotates, the gears 53 to 58 rotate and the swing member 52 rotates counterclockwise in the figure. Thereby, the swing member 52
At the same time, the product guard 70 moves downward, and the swinging member 52 rotates the first gear 51 to rotate the pressing member 5.
0 moves downward, and the arm 46 further rotates clockwise in the drawing. When the pressing member 50 moves downward, the pressing member 5
The locking part 50a of 0 is the product guard 26 on the product column 20 side.
12 and 13, the product guard 26 is moved by the pressing member 50 between the belt 32 on the product column 20 side and the belt 62 on the product bucket 40 side as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. . At that time, the product bucket 40
The side product guard 70 also moves between the belts 32 and 62.

When the arm 46 rotates as described above, the drive gear 43 projects toward the product column 20 side and meshes with the gear 33 of the product discharge mechanism 30. At that time, since the arm 46 rotates with the second gear 45 having the same rotation center as that of the arm 46 stopped, the first gear 44 and the drive gear 43 meshing with the second gear 45 move relative to the arm 46. Will cause relative rotation. But these gears 4
Since 3, 44, and 45 have the same diameter and the same number of teeth, the positions of the teeth with respect to the center of the drive gear 43 do not change as shown in FIGS. (See the symbols a, b and c attached to the teeth of the drive gear 43 in the figure). This is based on the principle of a planetary gear centered on the second gear 45. That is, when the drive gear 43 meshes with the gear 33 on the product column 20 side, the drive gear 43 does not rotate relative to the gear 33 and meshes without rotating the gear 33.

If there is an error in the stop position of the product bucket 40 in the vertical direction, the movable portion 52 of the swinging member 52 will be described.
The rotation angle of the arm 46 is adjusted by d. That is,
As shown in FIG. 15 (a), when the stop position of the product bucket 40 is proper, the movable portion 52d does not rotate relative to the swing member 52. When the product bucket 40 stops above the proper stop position by a distance H as shown in FIG. 5, the drive gear 43 is pressed against the gear 33 on the product column 20 side, and a reaction force is generated in the arm 46. At this time, the stop position of the swing member 52 is shown in FIG.
Although it is the same as in the case of (a), the movable portion 52d rotates relative to the swing member 52 against the spring 52e by the reaction force received by the arm 46, and the gear 33 on the product column 20 side is correspondingly generated. The meshing position of the drive gear 43 with respect to is adjusted.

Next, when the drive gear 43 of the product bucket 40 meshes with the gear 33 of the product column 20 as described above,
The first motor 48 of the drive unit 41 operates, and the drive gear 43 is rotated by the first motor 48. That is, when the first motor 48 rotates, the gears 44, 45, 47 rotate, and the drive gear 43 rotates counterclockwise in the figure. As a result, the gear 33 on the product column 20 side is rotated and the belt 32 of the product unloading mechanism 30 is rotated.
The product A on the belt 32 is the product bucket 40 as shown in FIG.
Be carried to the side.

Further, the third motor 68 operates simultaneously with the first motor 48, and the product transfer mechanism 6 of the product bucket 40.
The belt 62 of 0 rotates. That is, when the third motor 68 rotates, the gears 63 to 67 rotate and the belt 62 rotates. As a result, as shown in FIG. 18, the product A carried out from the product column 20 is transferred from the belt 32 on the product column 20 side to the belt 62 on the product bucket 40 side,
It is received in the product bucket 40.

At this time, the product A delivered to the product bucket 40 is the first and second sensors 72, 72 of the product bucket 40.
The third motor 68 is stopped after a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds) has been detected by 73. As a result, the product A carried out from the product column 20 is held substantially in the center of the product bucket 40. At that time, since the conveyance speed of the belt 62 on the product bucket 40 side is higher than that of the belt 32 on the product column 20 side, the product bucket 40
The product A transferred to the belt 62 on the side is quickly separated from the succeeding product A. Further, since the belt 62 on the side of the product bucket 40 is made of a material having a larger friction coefficient than the belt 32 on the side of the product column 20, the belt 62 on the side of the product bucket 40 does not run idle with respect to the product A.
Securely transfers to the belt 62 on the product bucket 40 side.
Further, when the third motor 68 stops, the first motor 4
8 is reversed for a predetermined time (for example, 0.2 seconds) and then stopped. As a result, as shown in FIG.
The succeeding product A on the side moves to a position slightly retracted from the tip of the belt 32.

Next, the second motor 59 is activated and rotates in the opposite direction to the above. As a result, the arm 46 of the drive gear 43 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, and the drive gear 43 moves away from the gear 33 on the product column 20 side to the product bucket 40 side. When the pressing member 50 and the product guard 70 on the product bucket 40 side are raised to a predetermined position in conjunction with this and the pressing member 50 moves upward, the product column 20
The commodity guard 26 on the side is moved up to a predetermined position by the spring 28.

The product bucket 4 that has received the product A
0 is moved to the commodity outlet 11 by the bucket moving mechanism 80. At this time, the product guard 70 prevents the product A in the product bucket 40 from falling. Further, when the product bucket 40 moves to the product take-out port 11, the belt 62 of the product transfer mechanism 60 rotates to carry the product A in the product bucket 40 to the product take-out port 11. At that time, the third sensor 74 of the product bucket 40 detects that the product A has been carried out to the product outlet 11. Also, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 20 (b), as shown in FIG. 20 (b), the product B having a large height such as a PET bottle has its upper end side contacting the reinforcing member 76 of the product bucket 40 and tilted rearward, so that the lower end side is always present. From the product to the product outlet 11.

The case where only the product A stored in one of the product columns 20 is carried out has been described above. However, in the vending machine, the products in the product column 20 can be operated by operating the drive units 41 at the same time. A can be carried out in two rows at the same time. In this case, the operation of each drive unit 41 is the same as that described above, but the drive gear 43 of each drive unit 41 is the same as the first motor 48 of one drive unit 41.
Driven by each. That is, when the first motor 48 of the one drive unit 41 rotates, the second gear 45 and the first gear 44 of the one drive unit 41 rotate and the drive gear 43 rotates. Four
Since the first second gear 45 is connected to the second gear 45 of the other drive unit 41 via the shaft 49,
The drive gears 43 of each drive unit 41 simultaneously rotate in the same direction. As a result, each belt 32 of the product column 20 simultaneously rotates at the same speed, and the product A on each belt 32 is rotated.
Respectively transfer to the belts 62 of the product bucket 40 and are received by the product bucket 40 together.

Further, in the vending machine, the product column 2
By removing the partition plate 22 of 0, a wide product C can be stored in the product column 20 as shown in FIG. That is, the product C is the belt 3 of both of the product columns 20.
It is placed over two and each drive unit 41 is the same as described above.
The products C in the product column 20 are unloaded by simultaneously operating.

In the vending machine, for example, when performing maintenance or repair in a non-energized state, the arm 4
6, it may be desired to manually operate the drive system of the pressing member 50 and the commodity guard 70 without operating the second motor 59. However, since the fourth gear 55 of this drive system is a worm gear, the arm 46 and the like cannot be moved by directly applying an external force. In this case, the fourth gear 55 exposed on the upper surface of the unit case 42 as shown in FIG.
The fourth gear 55 can be rotated by the driver D by engaging the tip of the driver D with the groove 55b of the rotating shaft 55a. Thereby, the arm 46, the pressing member 50, and the commodity guard 70 can be arbitrarily operated without using the driving force of the second motor 59.

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present embodiment, the first to third sensors 72, 7 which are optical sensors are provided.
The products in the product bucket 40 are detected by 3, 74, and the first and third sensors 72, 74 are respectively placed on the product placement surface in the product bucket 40 (the upper surface of the belt 62).
Since the beverage container such as a plastic bottle such as the product C shown in FIG. 20 is often formed in a curved shape with a rounded bottom side, the transparent pet is provided at a height position close to the transparent pet. Even with a light-transmitting product such as bottled mineral water, the detection light of the optical sensor does not reach the light-receiving side of the sensor due to being refracted by the curved portion, similar to a non-light-transmitting product. Merchandise can be detected reliably.

The product received in the product bucket 40 is detected by the first sensor 72 regardless of the height, but the product having a large height is also detected by the second sensor 73. The first item is a product that does not have the curved portion, such as pudding or jelly in a transparent container with a raised bottom.
Even if it is not detected by the sensor 72 of
The sensor 73 can detect the product.

Further, the first sensor 72 is connected to the product bucket 4
Not only is it provided on one end side of 0 to detect the delivery of the product from the product column 20, but a third sensor 74 is also provided on the other end side of the product bucket 40 to detect the product from the product bucket 40 to the product outlet 11. Since the carry-out is also detected, it is possible to determine whether or not the product has been carried out to the product take-out port 11, and it is possible to enhance the certainty of the selling operation.

[0039]

As described above, according to the automatic vending machine of claim 1, even when a light-transmissive product is sold, the product delivered to the product receiver is reliably detected using the optical sensor. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the malfunction of the light-transmissive product from occurring.

According to the vending machine of claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, it is possible to determine whether or not the product has been carried out to the product outlet, so that the reliability of the selling operation is enhanced. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Front sectional view of a vending machine

[Fig. 3] Side sectional view of a vending machine

[Fig. 4] Side sectional view of a product column

[Figure 5] Front view of the product column

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a product guard.

FIG. 7 is a partially omitted perspective view of a product bucket.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing the inside of the drive unit.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a part inside the drive unit.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a drive gear of each drive unit and its interlocking mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing the operation of the drive unit.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the operation of the product guard.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the operation of the product guard.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing the operation of the drive gear.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing the operation of the movable portion of the swing member.

FIG. 16 is a partial side view showing the unloading operation from the product column to the product bucket.

FIG. 17 is a partial side view showing the unloading operation from the product column to the product bucket.

FIG. 18 is a partial side view showing the unloading operation from the product column to the product bucket.

FIG. 19 is a partial side view showing the unloading operation from the product column to the product bucket.

FIG. 20 is a partial side view showing an operation of carrying out a product having a large height from the product bucket to the product outlet.

FIG. 21 is a front view of a product column when a product with a large width is stored.

FIG. 22 is a partial perspective view of a drive unit showing an operating method using a driver.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Vending machine main body, 11 ... Merchandise outlet, 20 ... Merchandise column, 30 ... Merchandise delivery mechanism, 32 ... Belt, 40 ... Merchandise bucket, 60 ... Merchandise transfer mechanism, 62 ... Belt, 72
... 1st sensor, 73 ... 2nd sensor, 74 ... 3rd sensor, A, B, C ... Commodity.

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Mitsuyuki Kenmochi             20, Kotobukicho, Isesaki-shi, Gunma Sanden shares             In the company F term (reference) 3E046 AA02 AA03 BA01 BB01 CB06                       CB07 CC01 CC02 CC07 DA03                       EA12

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine body having a product outlet at a predetermined position, a plurality of product columns arranged in at least one of a width direction and a vertical direction of the vending machine body, and each of the product columns is provided. A merchandise carry-out mechanism that carries out the merchandise in the merchandise column in a predetermined direction, a merchandise receiver that can receive the merchandise carried out from each merchandise column, and a moving mechanism that moves the merchandise receiver in the arrangement direction of each merchandise column. Equipped with
The moving mechanism moves the product receiver to an arbitrary product column, the product carry-out mechanism carries out the product in the product column into the product receiver, and the product accepting product moves the product receiver to the product outlet. In the automatic vending machine described above, a product transfer mechanism that places the product carried out from the product column side on the product receiver and moves it to the product receiver side, and detects the product on the product mounting surface on the product receiver side The automatic vending machine is characterized in that the product detecting means is provided and the product detecting means is constituted by an optical sensor positioned at a height close to the product placing surface. 2. The product receiver is configured to receive a product on a product column side from one end side and carry out the product from the other end side to a product outlet, and the product detection means includes one end side of the product receiver and the other. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine is provided on each end side.