JP2003228762A - Lid fitting device for cup type automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lid fitting device for a cup type automatic vending machine, capable of appropriately setting a row of lids in a lid separation device when switching the row of lids, and thus capable of securely separating only the lid to be fitted even after switching the row of lids. <P>SOLUTION: The lid fitting device comprises a base plate 24 having a lid taking-out hole 24a, a lid storing container 22 freely rotating on the base plate 24 so that one of a plurality of storage drums 26 may be positioned over the lid taking-out hole 24a, a lid separator 41 provided under the lid taking-out hole 24a in the base plate 24, a stocker drive mechanism 23 driving the lid storing container 22 so that the storage drum 26 storing another row of lids may come to a position over the lid taking-out hole 24a when the row of lids set in the lid separator 41 are switched to the other row of lids, and a lid taking-out machine 54 transferring the other row of lids moved to a position over the lid taking-out hole 24a to the lid separator 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is provided inside a cup-type vending machine for pouring beverages such as coffee and juice into a cup for sale, and stores the beverage before it is provided to the purchaser. Lid automatically on the cup
The present invention relates to a lid mounting device for a cup-type vending machine that mounts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a lid mounting device of this type,
It is known that the opening at the upper end of a beverage cup is sealed with a film-shaped resin sheet (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-212058).
001-229451). This lid mounting device is a sheet setting mechanism that sets a long resin sheet wound in a roll shape in a state where it is pulled out to a sealing position on the cup transport path, and a beverage-filled cup that has reached the sealing position. It is equipped with a cup elevating mechanism that elevates and lowers the lower side of the sheet-making sheet, and a sealing mechanism that thermocompresses and seals the resin sheet on the edge portion of the opening of the cup while sandwiching the resin sheet from above and below the edge portion of the opening of the cup. There is.

By sealing the opening of the cup containing the beverage with such a lid mounting device, for example, when the purchaser carries the cup beverage or when the cup is accidentally laid down on a table or the like. However, the beverage in the cup will not spill. However, in the cup drink with the lid as described above, once the resin sheet is peeled from the opening of the cup, the cup cannot be capped again with the resin sheet. For this reason, if you accidentally knock down the drinking cup, the beverage will spill, and if you want to leave it as it is for a while, if you leave the cup as it is, dust will get inside the cup. When the beverage in the cup is a hot beverage, the beverage may have already cooled when trying to drink again. For these reasons, it has been desired to develop a lid mounting device capable of mounting a removable lid on a cup containing a beverage.

[0004]

In such a lid mounting apparatus, for example, a lid container for accommodating a lid row in which a large number of lids are stacked on each other, or a lid row in the lid container should be mounted. A lid disconnector that separates only the lid, and the separated lid
A mechanism for attaching to the cup at the lid attachment position is required. Then, in order to separate only the lid to be mounted from the lid row, it is necessary to properly set the lid row in the lid separating device. In this case, for example, when there is only one lid row that can be stored in the lid storage device and also one lid disconnection device, when the lid storage device is refilled with the lid, the operator operates the lid separation device. Can be set properly. In addition, when the lid storage device is configured to be able to store a plurality of lid rows, for example,
When one lid row is consumed by a sale and the lid runs out, the other lid row automatically switches,
It is preferably set in a lid disconnector.

However, in the structure of the lid storage device and the lid disconnecting device, when the lid row is slightly dropped and the lowest lid is supported, the lid separating device is set. The posture of the bottom lid may be disturbed when a row is dropped. Therefore, it may not be possible to properly set the lid row in the lid disconnector because the lowest lid is not properly supported.In that case, after the lid row is switched, the lid to be attached should not be disconnected properly. May occur.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and when switching the lid rows, the lid rows can be properly set in the lid disconnecting device. An object of the present invention is to provide a lid mounting device for a cup-type vending machine, which can surely separate only the lid to be mounted even after switching rows.

[0007]

A lid mounting device for a cup type vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention is a lid mounting device for a cup type vending machine for mounting a lid on a cup containing a beverage at the time of sale. There is a base having a lid passage hole penetrating in the vertical direction and through which the lid can pass, and a plurality of storage sections extending in the vertical direction for storing the lid rows in which the plurality of lids are vertically stacked. Then, a lid housing movably mounted on the base so that any one of the plurality of housings is located above the lid passage hole, and a lid housing provided below the lid passage hole of the base. With the lid row stored in one storage section located above the passage hole supported from below, set the lid row, and at the time of sale, place the lowest lid from the lid row. And a lid disconnect device away Ri, when switching the lid string set in the lid disconnect device to another lid column, the housing part for housing the other lid column,
The storage device driving means for driving the lid storage device so as to be located above the lid passage hole, and the other lid row moved above the lid passage hole by the drive by the storage device drive means are supported from below. However, it is characterized in that it is provided with a lid row delivery means for delivering to the lid disconnector.

According to this structure, when the lid row set in the lid disconnecting device is switched to another lid row, the lid driving means drives the lid housing on the base to switch the other lid rows. The storage part for storing moves above the lid passage hole. In this case, when another lid row is set in the lower lid separating device via the lid passage hole, it is delivered to the lid separating device while being supported from below by the lid sequence delivering means. Therefore, at the time of switching the lid rows, it is possible to prevent the other lid rows from dropping from the lid passage hole, and it is possible to properly set the other lid rows in the lid disconnecting device. This makes it possible to reliably separate only the lid to be mounted even after switching the lid row.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the lid mounting device of the cup type vending machine according to the first aspect, the lid disconnecting device penetrates in the vertical direction and locks the lowest lid of the lid row. A lid row delivery member that passes through the opening, is provided to be movable up and down between the lid separating device and the lid passage hole, and can support the lid row from below; A drive mechanism that drives the lid row transfer member up and down and raises the lid row transfer member to the lid passage hole before another lid row reaches above the lid passage hole, and the lid row delivery member moves to another lid row. A control means for controlling the drive mechanism so as to lower the lid row transfer member below the lid separating device after supporting the row.

According to this structure, when the lid row is switched, the drive mechanism is controlled by the control means, so that the lid row delivery member operates as follows. That is, first, before another lid row reaches above the lid passage hole, the lid row delivery member passes through the opening of the lid disconnecting device and rises to the lid passage hole. Next, when the other lid row reaches above the lid passage hole, the other lid row is supported by the lid delivery member. After that, the lid row transfer member descends below the lid disconnecting device while supporting the other lid rows. Then, while the lid row transfer member is descending, another lid row is set on the lid separating device. In this way, the lid row transfer member is moved up and down, and while the lid row transfer member is supporting the lid row from below, the lid row is set in the lid separating device, so that the lid row can be set properly and stably. The lid row transfer means can be realized with the above-mentioned simple structure.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a cup-type vending machine incorporating a lid mounting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 5 show the internal structure thereof. This vending machine 1 sells a drink such as coffee or juice by pouring it into a cup for sale. A lid mounting device 2 mounts a detachable lid L on a cup C containing the beverage and a lid is attached. The cup drink D can be provided to the purchaser.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vending machine 1 is provided with a vertically long box-shaped vending machine body 3 having an opened front surface, and a main door 4 for opening and closing the front surface of the vending machine body 3. At the center of the main door 4, a product take-out section 5 is provided for the purchaser to take out the cup beverage D, which is a product. The product take-out section 5 has a depth dimension to some extent, and has a horizontal stage 5a that slightly projects forward from the upper half of the main door 4. At the center of the stage 5a, there is provided a sales opening 5b through which the cup beverage D rises at the time of sale. This sales outlet 5b is
It is closed at all times and is opened when the cup beverage D comes out on the stage 5a at the time of sale. The lower part of the stage 5a is designed to have a semi-elliptical shape in the front, and is designed to be slightly projected to the front of other parts of the main door 4.

Although not shown, the main door 4 of the vending machine 1 is provided with a product selection button, a cash slot, a change return slot, etc., as in a general cup type vending machine. ing. In addition to these, the main door 4 is also provided with a lid mounting button for the purchaser to select whether or not the lid L is mounted on the cup beverage. Therefore, for example, the vending machine 1 is configured so that the lid L is not mounted in normal sale, and the lid L is mounted only when the lid mounting button is pressed at the time of purchase.
If is set, the purchaser who does not need the lid L can purchase the cup beverage in the same manner as a general cup-type vending machine, while the purchaser who needs the lid L,
By pressing the lid mounting button at the time of purchase, the cupped drink D with a lid can be obtained.

Furthermore, on the main door 4, a display portion (not shown) for informing the purchaser whether the lid L of the provided cupped beverage D with a lid is properly attached to the cup C or not. ) Is provided. When the lid proper mounting detection unit, which will be described later, detects that the lid L is not properly mounted, this display unit displays a message to that effect.
As a result, the purchaser can be alerted to the handling of the cup beverage D with a lid. Instead of or in addition to the display unit, a voice warning may be issued.

As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the lid mounting device 2 described above, a large number of cups C are housed in the vending machine body 3, and at the time of sale, the cups C are dropped one by one so as to be described later in a cup supply position. Cup dispenser 6 to supply to
A plurality of (six in the present embodiment) canisters 7 in which various raw materials are respectively stored are built in. The cup dispenser 6 is formed in a cylindrical shape and stores a plurality of rows of a large number of cups C vertically stacked on top of each other, and a cup container 6a at the time of sale, which is the lowest cup of the cup row according to the selected product. It has a cup dropper 6b that separates C from the other cups above it and drops it.

On the other hand, each canister 7 contains powdery or granular raw materials different from each other, for example, raw materials such as coffee, black tea, cocoa, and juice, and at the time of sale, raw materials according to the selected product. Is discharged to the mixing bowl 8 through the raw material chute 7a by a predetermined amount. The raw material discharged into the mixing bowl 8 is agitated with hot water or water, and the mixed liquid is mixed with the beverage tube 9 and the beverage nozzle 10 at the tip thereof.
(See FIG. 5), and is supplied to the cup C that has been transported to the beverage supply position described later.

Next, the lid mounting device 2 will be described in detail. The lid mounting device 2 includes a lid stocker 11 that stores a large number of lids L that are vertically stacked.
And one lid L from the lid stocker 11 at the time of sale
The lid L is pressed from above by the lid take-out / transfer device 12 that takes out the cup C and transfers it to a predetermined position, the cup transfer device 13 that transfers the cup C in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction, and the cup transfer device 13. The lid pressing device 14 fitted into the cup C and a control device (control means) (not shown) having a microcomputer for controlling them are provided.

The lid L and the cup C used in this embodiment are formed, for example, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the lid L is made of thin plastic, has a circular plan shape and has a certain height, and has an open lower surface, as shown in FIG. A recess 16 having a diameter substantially the same as that of the lower end of the cup C is formed on the upper portion of the lid L. Thereby, it is possible to fit the lower end portion of the cup of another cup beverage into the concave portion 16 of the cup beverage D with a lid,
By doing so, when carrying a plurality of cup beverages, they can be stacked on top of each other and carried.
Further, on the side portion of the lid L, an outwardly protruding fitting portion 17 that fits into a curl portion 18 of the cup C described later is formed. The diameter of the fitting portion 17 is equal to the curl portion 1 of the cup C.
Since the diameter of the lid L is slightly smaller than the diameter of the cup 8, the lid L can be firmly attached to the opening of the upper end of the cup C by snap fitting, and in the attached state, the lid L does not easily come off.

On the other hand, the cup C is a general paper cup, and the opening peripheral edge portion of the upper end portion is formed in a curl shape (curl portion 18). Then, as described above, by fitting the fitting portion 17 of the lid L into the curl portion 18, the lid L is firmly attached to the cup C. This prevents the beverage from spilling out of the cup C even when the cup C containing the beverage is tilted or tilted. As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 6A, an opening 19 may be formed on the upper surface of the lid L. In this case, the opening 19 serves as a drinking mouth or a straw insertion opening. Can be used.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lid stocker 11 includes a vertically long stocker frame 21 and a lid storage device that extends vertically and is rotatably supported by the stocker frame 21 about a vertical axis. 22
And a stocker drive mechanism 23 (storage device drive means) attached to the upper part of the stocker frame 21 for rotating the lid storage device 22 by a predetermined angle.

The stocker frame 21 has a frame main body 21a extending vertically, and a base plate 24 (base) and a support plate 25 extending horizontally forward are provided at the lower end and the upper end of the frame main body 21a, respectively. Has been. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a lid take-out hole 24a (lid passage hole) that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the lid L is formed at a predetermined position of the base plate 24. On the other hand, the stocker drive mechanism 23 is attached to the support plate 25 via the attachment fitting 25a. The lid storage device 22 is provided between the base plate 24 and the support plate 25.
Is rotatably supported.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the lid storage device 22 includes three cylindrical storage drums 26 extending in the vertical direction.
Each of the storage drums 26 has a (storage portion), and a large number of lids (lid rows) stacked in the vertical direction are stored in each of the storage drums 26. Further, these storage drums 26 are arranged symmetrically with respect to each other about a rotary shaft 22a extending in the vertical direction. Each storage drum 26 is formed in a honeycomb shape having a plane shape slightly larger than the outer diameter of the lid L, and a half portion on the opposite side of the rotating shaft 22 a is opened and closed by an opening / closing door 27. The opening / closing door 27 is vertically divided into two parts, and a magnet 28 is attached to each door contact side. Therefore, each door 2
By attaching and detaching the magnet 28 of No. 7 to the attraction plate 29 at the corresponding position, the opening / closing door 27 can be easily opened and closed when replenishing the lid row to each storage drum 26. The opening / closing door 27 is formed with a plurality of vertically elongated slits 27a, so that when the main door 4 is opened, the opening / closing door 27 is not opened.
The remaining amount of the lid L in the storage drum 26 can be easily visually recognized from the outside.

A gear 22b is fixed to the upper end of the rotary shaft 22a of the lid housing 22.
The lid storage device 22 is rotated by a predetermined angle by rotating the 2b by the stocker drive mechanism 23. The stocker drive mechanism 23 includes a motor 31 and a gear box 3
Drive shaft 3 which is rotationally driven by a motor 31 via 2
3 and so on. The drive shaft 33 is provided at its lower end with a gear portion 34 that meshes with the gear 22b of the lid housing 22, while at the upper end thereof the lid housing 22.
A disc-shaped control plate 35 is provided for controlling the rotation angle of the. A stocker sensor 36, which is an optical sensor, is arranged near the control plate 35. The stocker sensor 36 detects the position of a slit 35a formed at a predetermined position of the control plate 35. Based on the detection result, the operation of the motor 31 is controlled, so that the lid container 22 is rotated by a predetermined angle.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion where the lid stocker 11 is omitted from the lid mounting apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 11 shows a part of its top view. As shown in these figures and FIG. 9, below the lid stocker 11, more specifically, below the lid taking-out hole 24a of the base plate 24, the lowest lid L of the lid row is arranged. A lid separator 41 (lid separating device) for separating from the upper lid is attached. In the following description, the lowest lid L and the lid L immediately above it in the lid row are appropriately referred to as the "mounting lid L1" and the "next mounting lid L2", respectively.

As shown in FIG. 12, the lid separator 4
Reference numeral 1 denotes a case 43 having a ring-shaped planar shape, which has a lid support hole 42 that is substantially the same size as the lid take-out hole 24a and is located concentrically with the lid take-out hole 24a.
Is placed in the case 43 so as to face the mounting lid L1.
(Six in this embodiment) lid cams 44 for supporting and separating the same, and all of these lid cams 4
4, a ring gear 45 for synchronously rotating the ring gear 45 by a predetermined angle, a separator motor 46 for rotating the ring gear 45 by a predetermined angle, and two ring gear sensors 47, 47 for detecting the rotational position of the ring gear 45.
And so on.

The case 43 is constructed by vertically assembling an upper case 43a and a lower case 43b which are vertically symmetrical with each other, and each of the upper and lower cases 43a, 43b has a lid cam 44 rotatable about a vertical axis. It is supported. Each lid cam 44 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (c), a pair of convex portions 44b and 44b horizontally projecting in opposite directions with a rotary shaft 44a extending in the vertical direction in between are provided in upper and lower two stages. The same figure (a)
As shown in, the pair of protrusions 44b of each lid cam 44,
When 44b is oriented in the radial direction of the lid support hole 42 of the case 43, the inner convex portion 44b supports the lower peripheral edge portion of the mounting lid L1 from below. Also,
A gear portion 44 c that meshes with the ring gear 45 is provided at the bottom of each lid cam 44. The lower pair of protrusions 44b, 44b of each lid cam 44 are provided as a spare when the mounting lid L1 cannot be erroneously supported by the upper protrusions.

The ring gear 45 is formed to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the case 43, and has a large number of teeth formed on its inner peripheral portion so as to mesh with the gear portions 44c of the six lid cams 44, respectively. Further, the ring gear 45 has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in (a) and FIG. 13, elongated holes 45a, 45b for driving and for detecting a rotational position, which extend in the radial direction, are formed at predetermined positions, respectively. One end of a crank 48 having a predetermined shape is slidably inserted in the driving elongated hole 45a, and the other end of the crank 48 is fixed to a rotary shaft 46a of a separator motor 46.

On the other hand, the rotational position detecting long hole 45b is formed at a position opposite to the driving long hole 45a of the ring gear 45, and when the ring gear 45 is at the position shown in FIG. 13 (a). , One ring gear sensor 47 (47
It is detected in A). The one ring gear sensor 47A and the other ring gear sensor 47B
Are both composed of optical sensors, and these are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other.

The lid separator 4 constructed in this way
1, the ring gear 45 and the lid cam 44 are shown in FIG.
In the state shown in (a) and FIG. 13 (a),
The convex portions 44b facing the centers of the lid support holes 42 of the six lid cams 44 support the lower surface peripheral edge portion of the mounting lid L1 from below. From this state, the separator motor 46 operates and the crank 48 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 13A by a predetermined angle (about 80 degrees), whereby the ring gear 45 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B. Along with this, the long hole 45b for detecting the rotational position moves, and when it is detected by the other ring gear sensor 47B, the separator motor 46 stops. As a result, the ring gear 45
Rotates in the direction indicated by arrow B by a predetermined angle (about 5 degrees), while the six lid cams 44 are
As shown in FIG. 13 (b), it rotates about 90 degrees, and thereby the support of the mounting lid L1 is released.

In the state shown in FIG. 13 (b),
By rotating the crank 48 in the direction opposite to the arrow A (arrow A ') by a predetermined angle (about 80 degrees), the ring gear 4 is rotated.
5 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B ', whereby the ring gear 45 and the lid cam 44 return to the state shown in FIG.

Further, the case 43 of the lid separator 41
Is provided with a lid presence / absence sensor 49 for detecting the presence / absence of the lid L in the lid support hole 42. The lid presence / absence sensor 49 includes a light emitting element 49a and a light receiving element 49b which are arranged at a distance from each other and are horizontally opposed to each other.
It consists of an optical sensor consisting of. When the light from the light emitting element 49a is blocked by the lid L in the lid support hole 42, the lid L is present in the lid support hole 42,
The lid separator 41 is controlled by the control device (not shown).
It is determined that the storage drum 26 of the lid storage device 22 located above the is not out of the lid. On the contrary, the light emitting element 49
When the light from a is received by the light receiving element 49b without being blocked, it is determined that the storage drum 26 is out of lid.

The lid stocker 1 configured as described above
1 and the lid separator 41, by selecting the cup beverage with a lid at the time of sale, the lid separator 41
The lid rows in the storage drum 26 of the lid storage device 22 located above the are sequentially separated from the lowest row and consumed. Then, at the time of sale (for example, when the last lid L is consumed in this sale), the lid presence / absence sensor 4
When it is determined that the above-mentioned storage drum 26 is out of lid through 9, the lid storage device 22 rotates by a predetermined angle (120 degrees) in preparation for the next sale of the cup beverage with a lid. , The storage drum 26 that has run out of lid is switched to a new storage drum 26 that stores the lid row. In this case, the lid row in the new storage drum 26 moves to the lid taking-out hole 24a of the base plate 24 while sliding on the base plate 24.

Prior to such switching of the storage drum 26, a lid take-out machine 54 (lid row delivery member), which will be described later, rises to near the lid take-out hole 24a.
Specifically, the cylindrical body portion 61 of the lid take-out machine 54
Penetrates the lid support hole 42 of the lid separator 41 from below and rises up to the vicinity of the lid extraction hole 24a (see FIG. 17). Then, as described above, the storage drum 26
Is switched, the lowest mounting lid L1 of the lid row in the new storage drum 26 slightly falls through the lid taking-out hole 24a and is mounted thereon so as to cover the upper end surface of the main body 61. . After that, the lid removing machine 54 descends, and the mounting lid L1 is supported in the lid supporting hole 42 of the lid separator 41 in the middle thereof. This allows
The switching of the storage drum 26 is completed.

As described above, when the storage drum 26 is switched, the mounting lid L1 is once placed on the main body 61 of the lid unloading machine 54 that has risen to the vicinity of the lid unloading hole 24a, and then set on the lid separator 41. Compared with the case where the mounting lid L1 is dropped from the base plate 24 through the lid take-out hole 24a and directly set on the lid separator 41, the fall distance can be made extremely short. Thereby, the lid separator 41
The lid row can be set properly and stably.

In the determination of the lid breakage of the storage drum 26, if the lid L does not exist in the lid support hole 42, it is determined that the lid of the storage drum 26 is broken, and the position of the lid presence / absence sensor 49 in the vertical direction. As appropriate
By setting the lid L in the lid support hole 42,
It may be determined that the storage drum 26 has run out of the lid when one or several of the storage drums are present. In this case, since the distance between the uppermost lid L remaining in the lid support hole 42 and the lid take-out hole 24a becomes shorter, the maximum number of lid rows in the new storage drum 26 is changed when the storage drum 26 is switched. The lower lid L is dropped as it is through the lid taking-out hole 24a, and is stacked on the remaining lid L from above. Therefore, in this case, it is possible to properly set the lid row to the lid separator 41 without operating the lid take-out machine 54.

Next, the lid take-out / transfer device 12 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the lid take-out / transfer device 12 is arranged below the lid separator 41, and the mounting lid L1 supported in the lid support hole 42 of the lid separator 41 is moved downward. It is composed of a lid take-out device 51 that takes out while moving, and a lid transfer device 52 that transfers the mounting lid L1 taken out by this to a lid mounting position, which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the lid take-out device 51 has a lid take-out device 54 which can be moved up and down and is guided by a pair of vertically extending guide rails 53, 53. The lid take-out machine 54 includes a cylindrical main body 61 extending in the vertical direction and a base 62 extending from the lower portion of the main body 61 between the guide rails 53.
And a main body portion 61 and a base portion 62.
As a result, the front shape is formed into a substantially L shape.

The body 61 is the lid separator 41.
It is located so as to be concentric with the lid support hole 42 of
The outer diameter of the main body 61 is formed to be slightly smaller than the opening 19 on the lower surface of the lid L. A lid gripping mechanism 63 is provided inside the main body 61 and the base 62, and a lid gripping plate 64, which will be described later, of the lid gripping mechanism 63 engages with the mounting lid L1 from the inside. The mounting lid L1 can be gripped. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 (a), a cover 61 a having four openings 61 b on the side wall is attached to the upper end of the main body 61 of the lid removing machine 54, and the lid gripping mechanism 63 is provided with a cover 61 a. The gripping portions 64b of each lid gripping plate 64, which will be described later, respectively have openings 61b.
It is supposed to appear from.

The lid gripping mechanism 63 is shown in FIG. 15 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, four lid gripping plates 64 having a predetermined shape, and the four lid gripping plates 64 are arranged symmetrically with respect to each other about a drive shaft 65 extending in the vertical direction, and each of them extends in the vertical direction. The grip plate holder 67, which is rotatably supported via the support pins 66, and the four grip plates 64 are arranged inside the grip plate holder 64.
A cam plate 68 of a predetermined shape that rotates each lid gripping plate 64 by rotating, and a lid gripping motor 70 that rotationally drives the cam plate 68 through the drive shaft 65 and the gear box 69 by a predetermined angle.
Etc.

The lid holding plate 64 is formed by bending a metal plate having a predetermined shape, has a certain height, has a dogleg shape in a plan view, and one end of the lid holding plate 64 serves as a support pin 66. The arm portion 64a rotatably connected to the arm portion 64a is connected to the end portion of the arm portion 64a on the side opposite to the support pin 66, and is bent outward at a right angle to the arm portion 64a to have a rectangular planar shape. Gripping portion 64b
And have. Further, each lid gripping plate 64 is
As shown in FIGS. 15B and 16, the support pin 66
The grip portion 64b is biased inward, that is, toward the side of the cam plate 68 by the torsion coil spring 66a provided in the above, and abuts against this. The cam plate 68 has a substantially square planar shape and an outer periphery formed as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 15B, a disc-shaped control plate 71 for controlling the rotation angle of the cam plate 68 is provided at the lower end of the drive shaft 65. Further, a lid grip sensor 72, which is an optical sensor, is arranged near the control plate 71.
Thus, the position of a slit (not shown) formed at a predetermined position of the control plate 71 is detected. Based on this detection result,
By controlling the operation of the lid gripping motor 70, the cam plate 68 rotates by a predetermined angle.

As shown in FIG. 16A, when each lid gripping plate 64 is in contact with the side portion of the cam plate 68, the tip of the gripping portion 64b has the opening 61 of the cover 61a.
Located near b. On the other hand, from this state, when the cam plate 68 is rotated by about 45 degrees as shown in FIG. 16B, each lid gripping plate 64 is twisted by the torsion coil spring 6.
It is rotated by being pressed from the inside against 6a, and the grip portion 64b slightly projects outward.

In the lid holding plate 64 which is rotationally driven in this way, the diameter of the circle E1 when the tips of the holding portions 64b of the respective lid holding plates 64 shown in FIG. The diameter of the circle E2 shown in FIG. 16B is smaller than that of the fitting portion 17, and is substantially the same as that of the fitting portion 17 of the lid L. Therefore, when each lid gripping plate 64 is in the state shown in FIG. 2B, the tip of each gripping portion 64b engages the fitting portion 17 of the lid L from the inside to grip the lid L. Is possible. On the contrary, when each lid gripping plate 64 is in the state shown in FIG. 4A, the gripping of the lid L by each gripping portion 64 can be released. In the following description, the state of each lid gripping plate 64 shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B is referred to as the “lid release posture”.
And "lid gripping posture".

In the lid take-out machine 54 having the lid gripping mechanism 63 as described above, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15A, the lifting mechanism 73 is provided at the end (right side) of the base 62.
(Driving mechanism). The lifting mechanism 73 is a lid take-out motor 74 including a motor with an encoder.
The motor 74 has a pinion 76 which is driven to rotate about a horizontal axis through a gear box 75, and a rack 77 which extends in the vertical direction and engages with the pinion 76. A standby position sensor 78, which is an optical sensor for detecting the standby position of the lid unloader 54, is arranged near the elevating mechanism 73.

FIG. 17 shows the lid removing machine 5 with the upper end of the lid removing machine 54, that is, the upper end of the main body 61 as a reference.
4 shows the vertical position. As shown in the figure, the lid unloader 54 can be moved up and down between the standby position H1 and the upper limit position Hmax, and in addition to the standby position H1 and the upper limit position Hmax, a lid between them It is possible to stop at two positions, a grip position H2 and a temporary stop position H3.

Each of these four positions will be specifically described. First, the standby position H1 is a position before the rise of the lid unloading machine 54 is started, and the lid unloading machine 54 is located at the standby position H1 during the sales standby. In the lid gripping position H2, the upper end of the lid unloader 54 is located near the upper end of the lid separator 41, and the lid gripping mechanism 63 is located.
The lid gripping plate 64 is in the lid gripping posture so that the mounting lid L1 can be gripped. The temporary stop position H3 is a position slightly lower than the lid gripping position H2 described above, and its height is substantially the same as the height between the lower surfaces of the mounting lid L1 and the next mounting lid L2 that are stacked on each other. The lid upper limit position Hmax is almost the same height as the base plate 24 of the lid stocker 11,
When the storage drum 26 is switched as described above, the lid take-out machine 54 is raised to the lid upper limit position Hmax.

FIG. 18 shows the lid transfer device 52. As shown in the figure, the lid transfer device 52 is provided on the base plate 81 and on the upper side of the base plate 81, and the lid L is located at a lid receiving position directly below the lid separator 41 (see FIGS. 18A and 18B). From the position shown in FIG. 23) to the lid mounting position (the position shown in FIG. 23), and the lid transfer arm 8
2 has an arm drive mechanism 83 for driving 2.

As shown in FIGS. 18 (a) and 18 (b),
At a predetermined position on the base plate 81, two rods 84 and 85 are erected to regulate the movable range of the lid transfer arm 82 when the lid transfer arm 82 abuts on the base plate 81. Specifically, the rod 84 and the rod 85 respectively position the lid transfer arm 82 at the lid receiving position and the lid mounting position. The rod 8 on the base plate 81
A receiving position switch 86 composed of a micro switch is provided in the vicinity of 4 so that the receiving position switch 86 is pushed by the lid transferring arm 82 when the lid transferring arm 82 is located at the lid receiving position. Has become.

The lid transfer arm 82 has a certain thickness and is formed in a fan shape in a plan view. The lid transfer arm 82 has a horizontally extending arm portion 91 and a ring-shaped lid holding portion 92 connected to the arm portion 91. Have

The arm portion 91 has an end portion on the opposite side to the lid holding portion 92, which is rotatably supported by a support shaft 93 extending in the vertical direction and is vertically movable along the support shaft 93. A coil spring 94 is provided on the upper side of the arm portion 91 between the upper end portion of the support shaft 93 and the bearing 93a. The coil spring 94 urges the entire lid transfer arm 82 downward. Further, a convex portion 91 a that slightly protrudes downward is provided around the support shaft 93 at the lower portion of the arm portion 91, and the arm driving cam 10 of the arm driving mechanism 83 to be described later is provided.
It meshes with 3.

On the other hand, the lid holding portion 92 has a double structure, and the ring portion 9 formed integrally with the arm portion 91.
A lid holding ring 96 for holding the lid L is provided inside the member 5. As shown in FIGS. 18A and 18C, the inner diameter of the lid retaining ring 96 is formed to be slightly larger than the maximum outer diameter of the lid L (outer diameter of the lower surface), while the outer diameter thereof is the ring portion 95. It is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of. That is, the lid holding ring 96 and the ring portion 95
A slight gap F (for example, 2 mm) is provided over the entire circumference between and, so that the lid holding ring 96 has a play in the radial direction with respect to the ring portion 95.

Further, four lid locking claws 97 for locking the lid L to the opening 96a are provided on the inner peripheral portion of the lid holding ring 96, and these are provided in the opening 9a.
6a, they are arranged at equal angles to each other along the inner circumference of the lid retaining ring 96. Each lid locking claw 97
18C, the front shape is a vertically long rectangle and the side shape is formed in a convex V shape inward, and the lid L is supported from the lower side on the convex portion. It has a locking portion 97a for locking. In addition, each lid locking claw 97 has a lid locking position at which the lid L can be locked by the locking portion 97a on the support shaft 98 provided at the upper end thereof (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 18C). And a lid releasing position (a position indicated by a chain double-dashed line in the figure) capable of releasing the locking thereof. Furthermore, each lid locking claw 97 is biased to the lid locking position by a torsion coil spring 99 provided at the upper end portion.

The arm drive mechanism 83 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the lid transfer motor 101 and the gear box 1 attached to the lower surface of the base plate 81.
It is constituted by an arm drive cam 103 and the like that is driven to rotate by a lid transfer motor 101 via 02, and thereby drives the lid transfer arm 82. The motor 101 has a through hole 8 formed in the base plate 81.
The gear box 102 is connected to the gear box 102 via a portion 1a.

The arm drive cam 103 is arranged between the base plate 81 and the lid transfer arm 82, and is rotatable concentrically with the support shaft 93 of the lid transfer arm 82. Further, the arm drive cam 103 is formed so as to be engaged with the convex portion 91a of the lid transfer arm 82 so as to be non-rotatable and engageable and disengageable in the vertical direction. When the arm driving cam 103 is rotationally driven by the motor 101 through the gear box 102 by a predetermined angle, the lid transfer arm 82 is rotated between the lid receiving position and the lid mounting position. To do. Two transfer arm sensors 104, 104, which are optical sensors, are provided near the arm drive cam 103. These sensors 104, 104 and the receiving position switch 8 are provided.
6, the position of the lid transfer arm 82 is detected.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 17 and 19 to 22, a series of taking out the mounted lid L1 from the lid separator 41 by the lid take-out device 51 and passing it to the lid transfer arm 82 of the lid transfer device 52. The operation will be described in order. In addition, before the operation of the lid take-out device 51 is started, the lid take-out machine 54 is
It is located at the standby position H1 shown by the solid line in FIG. Further, in this case, in each of the lid cams 44 of the lid separator 41, as shown in FIG. 19A, the convex portion 44b faces the radial direction of the lid support hole 42.

First, the lid take-out machine 54 is operated at the standby position H.
1 to the lid gripping position H2 (see FIG. 19).
(B)). Then, each lid gripping plate 64 of the lid gripping mechanism 63 is in the lid gripping posture, and the mounting lid L
It engages with the fitting part 17 of No. 1 from the inside (FIG. 19C).
Next, as shown in FIG. 20A, all the lid cams 44 are rotated by about 90 degrees, and the protrusions 44 of the lid cams 44 are rotated.
The support of the mounting lid L1 by b is released. afterwards,
The lid unloader 54 descends and stops at the temporary stop position H3 (FIG. 20 (b)). Then, as the lid cam 44 rotates in the opposite direction, as shown in FIG.
Returning to the original position, the convex portion 44b supports the next mounting lid L2. As a result, the mounting lid L1 is attached to the lid cam 44.
The support by is released, and the state where it can be separated from the next mounting lid L2 is possible.

Next, as shown in FIG. 21A, the lid gripping plate 64 of the lid gripping mechanism 63 returns from the lid gripping posture to the lid releasing posture, whereby the mounting lid L1 is the main body of the lid removing machine 54. The state is simply placed on the cover 61a of the portion 61. After that, the lid unloader 54 at the pause position H3 descends again (see FIG. 2).
1 (b)), and returns to the standby position H1. The lid unloader 54 may be slightly lowered from the temporary stop position H3, and then the lid gripping plate 64 in the lid gripping posture may be returned to the lid releasing posture. In this case, the mounting lid L
Since the lid take-out machine 54 is slightly lowered while holding 1 with the lid holding plate 64, the mounting lid L1 can be reliably separated from the next mounting lid L2.

The mounting lid L1 thus taken out from the lid separator 41 is in the middle of the downward movement of the lid take-out machine 54 from the temporary stop position H3 to the standby position H1.
As shown in order in FIGS. 22A and 22B, the lid transfer arms 82 are locked by the four lid locking claws 97.
As described above, the mounting lid L1 is transferred to the lid transfer arm 82, and the mounting lid L1 is transferred from the lid receiving position to the lid mounting position by the lid transfer arm 82, as shown in FIG.

Next, the cup carrying device 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. As described above, the cup transporting device 13 transports the cup C received from the cup dispenser 6 in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 24) and the up-down direction. The drink is supplied to C, the lid L is attached to the cup C, and the cup drink D with a lid is provided to the purchaser.

The cup transport device 13 transports the cup C in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, respectively.
1 and the vertical transport device 112. The front-rear transport device 111 extends in the front-rear direction, and the front-rear transport frame 113 in which side portions of the up-down transport device 112 are slidably engaged, and the front end portion and the rear end portion of the front-rear transport frame 113 are rotatable. Front pulley 11 provided
4 and the rear pulley 115 and these pulleys 114, 1
The timing belt 116, which is wound around 15 and is connected to the side of the vertical transport device 112, the front-back transport motor 117 that is a pulse motor that rotationally drives the rear pulley 115, and the roller 1 at the lower end of the vertical transport device 112.
A guide rail 118 for guiding the vertical transport device 112 in the front-rear direction by the rotatably engaged 12a, and the vertical transport device 11
2 has two front and rear position sensors 119 and 119 for detecting whether or not they have respectively reached a beverage supply position P2 and a cup beverage supply position P4 which will be described later. The front-rear transport frame 113 and the guide rail 118 are fixed to the inner wall of the vending machine body 3, a predetermined frame 3a (see FIGS. 2 to 4), and the like.

In such a front and rear transport device 111,
When the rear pulley 115 is rotationally driven by the front-rear transport motor 117, the timing belt 116 rotates in a predetermined direction, and along with this, the vertical transport device 112 moves in the front-rear direction, and at the following four predetermined positions, specifically, Are controlled to stop at the cup supply position P1, the beverage supply position P2, the lid mounting position P3, and the cup beverage supply position P4, respectively.

First, the cup supply position P1 is a position where the cup C is supplied from the cup dispenser 6 and is a position directly below the cup dropper 6b. The beverage supply position P2 is a position where the beverage is supplied to the cup C and is a position directly below the beverage nozzle 10. Further, the lid mounting position P3 is a position where the lid L is mounted on the cup C to which the beverage is supplied, and the cup supply position P1 and the beverage supply position P2.
It is a position between and. Also, the cup beverage providing position P4
Is a position for providing a drink in a cup to a purchaser, and is a position near the front ends of the front and rear transport frames 113.

As described above, the vertical transport device 11
2 is stopped and controlled at the beverage supply position P2 and the cup beverage supply position P4 by being detected by the two front and rear position sensors 119 and 119, respectively. On the other hand, stop control of the vertical transport device 112 at the cup supply position P1 and the lid mounting position P3 is performed by the front and rear position sensors 119 and 11
The number of pulses given to the front-back conveyance motor 117 is based on the beverage supply position P2 and the cup beverage supply position P4 detected in 9.

FIG. 25 shows the internal structure of the vertical transport device 112. The vertical transport device 112 has a cup lifting mechanism 121 that lifts and lowers the cup C, and a cup holding mechanism 122 that holds the cup C by lightly gripping it from the side.

The cup elevating mechanism 121 has a cup base 123 on the upper end for mounting the cup C on the upper end, and a cup elevating arm 124 having an L-shaped side surface.
And a pair of feed screws 125, 125 for extending in parallel with each other in the vertical direction at intervals and screwed to the cup lifting arm 124 to move the cup lifting arm 124 in the vertical direction, and these feed screws. 125, 125
Is fixed to the lower ends of the pair of feed screws 125 and 125, and the drive gear 126 arranged between the lower ends of the cup, the cup lifting motor 127 that is a pulse motor that rotationally drives the drive gear 126, and the drive gear 126. Two gears 128, 128 that mesh with 126, and an elevating arm lower limit sensor 12 that detects the lower limit position of the cup elevating arm 124.
9 and 9.

The cup raising / lowering mechanism 12 configured as described above
1, the drive gear 126 is driven by the cup lifting motor 127.
When the gear is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction, the gear 1 meshes with it.
A pair of lead screws 125 each having 28 and 128,
125 rotate in the same direction as each other. Then, the cup elevating arm 124 screwed to the feed screws 125, 125 moves in the vertical direction, and the cup C placed on the cup base 123 of the cup elevating arm 124 moves up and down accordingly.

The control of the ascending / descending position of the cup ascending / descending arm 124 is given to the cup ascending / descending motor 127 based on the lower limit position (position shown in FIG. 25 (b)) detected by the ascending / descending arm lower limit sensor 129. It is performed by the number of pulses. Further, the control of the lifting speed of the cup lifting arm 124 is performed by controlling the rotation speed of the cup lifting motor 127.

On the other hand, the cup holding mechanism 122 includes a cup hand frame 131 provided near the upper ends of the feed screws 125, 125, and the cup hand frame 131.
A pair of support shafts 132, 132 having end portions fixed to each other and spaced from each other and extending horizontally and in parallel, and slidably supported by the pair of support shafts 132, 132, and the cup C from the left and right. Cup hand 133 that holds it so that it is pinched
And a cup hand motor 134 with an encoder, which is attached to the cup hand frame 131 and drives the cup hand 133.

The cup hand 133 has a plane shape of almost L.
It has two left and right hands 135, 135 which are formed in a letter shape and are arranged so as to face each other. These two
Racks 135a, which are formed to extend in parallel with each other along the support shaft 132, are formed at the base ends (left ends in FIG. 25A) of the two hands 135, 135, respectively.
It has 135a. And these racks 135
The a and 135a are engaged with the pinion 136 which is rotationally driven by the cup hand motor 134. In addition, the tips of the two hands 135, 135 (see FIG.
Arc holders 135b, 135b facing each other are provided at the right end of (a).

The cup holding mechanism 12 configured as described above
In 2, the pinion 1 is driven by the cup hand motor 134.
When 36 is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction by a predetermined number of rotations, hands 135, 135 having racks 135a, 135a engaged with the pinion 136 approach each other. Then, the cup C placed on the cup stand 123 is
Holders 135b of the hands 135, 135,
At 135b, lightly grip it from both sides. When the pinion 136 is rotationally driven in the opposite direction,
The hands 135, 135 are separated from each other, whereby the cup C is released.

Next, the lid pressing device 14 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the lid pressing device 14 is the cup C by the cup transport device 13.
The lid L is pressed against the lid C from above while the lid L is relatively pushed from above, and is fitted into the cup C more than the lid holding portion 92 when the lid transfer arm 82 is rotated to the lid mounting position. It is located slightly above. The lid pressing device 14 is attached to the motor 141, a drive shaft 143 that extends in the up-down direction and is rotationally driven by the motor 141 via the gear box 142, and the lower end of the drive shaft 143. It has a rotation pressing body 144 that presses the lid L while rotating with rotation.

The rotary pressing body 144 is rotatable about three horizontal axes extending radially at equal angles.
Roller 145 and a roller holder 146 that is circular in plan view and rotatably supports each roller 145.
And a power transmission plate 147 that is provided above the roller holder 146 in a state of being fixed to the drive shaft 143 and has a downward U-shape for transmitting the rotation of the drive shaft 143 to the roller holder 146. ing.

The roller holder 146 can be slightly moved in the vertical direction along the drive shaft 143, and the drive shaft 143 can be moved.
Is attached to. Further, as shown in FIGS. 26B and 26C, a pair of grooves 148, 148 spaced apart from each other and extending in parallel are formed in the upper portion of the roller holder 146. These grooves 148, A lower portion of the power transmission plate 147 is loosely inserted in 148. Further, on the upper part of the roller holder 146, a pair of spring insertion holes 1 whose upper surface is opened is formed.
49, 149 are provided for these spring insertion holes 1
The compression springs 150 and 150 are inserted in 49 and 149, respectively. The upper ends of the compression springs 150, 150 are in contact with the lower surface of the power transmission plate 147. Therefore, the compression springs 150, 150 urge the roller holder 146 holding the three rollers 145 downward. ing.

The outer peripheral edge of the upper portion of the roller holder 146 is formed so as to project upward, and a roller sensor 151, which is an optical sensor, is provided in the vicinity of the projecting projection 146a. This roller sensor 15
1 detects the raised position of the roller holder 146 to detect whether or not the roller 145 has risen by a predetermined distance (for example, 2 to 3 mm).

Next, regarding the operation at the time of sale of the vending machine 1 having the lid mounting apparatus 2 configured as described above,
The attachment of the lid L to the cup C will be mainly described. In addition,
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the vertical transport device 112 of the cup transport device 13 is in the cup supply position P1 during standby for sale.
And the cup base 123 is located at the lower limit position. Further, the lid take-out machine 54 of the lid take-out / transfer apparatus 12 is located at the standby position H1, while the lid transfer arm 82 is located at the lid receiving position.

At the time of sale, when the purchaser puts money into the vending machine 1 and presses the desired product selection button and the lid mounting button, first, the lowest cup C is separated from the cup dispenser 6, It falls on the cup stand 123 of the transfer device 13 (vertical transfer device 112). Then, the cup C is lightly grasped from the left and right by the cup hand 133 of the cup holding mechanism 122.
Further, at the same time when the cup C is supplied to the vertical transport device 112, the beverage selected by the purchaser is cooked in the mixing bowl 8.

Next, as shown in FIG. 24, the up-and-down conveying device 112 holding the cup C is arranged at the rear beverage supply position P.
Move to 2. Then, the beverage in the mixing bowl 8 is poured into the cup C via the beverage tube 9 and the beverage nozzle 10. After the completion of the beverage supply to the cup C, the vertical transport device 112 moves to the front lid mounting position P3. Further, as described above, before the cup C is transported from the cup dispenser 6 to the lid mounting position P3,
Lid stocker 1 by lid take-out / transfer device 12
From 1, the lowest lid L (mounting lid L1) is transferred to the lid mounting position.

That is, as described above with reference to FIGS. 19 to 23, the lid take-out machine 5 of the lid take-out device 51 is used.
4 once rises from the standby position H1 to the lid gripping position H2, and then the lid gripping mechanism 63 of the lid removing machine 54,
And the lid separator 41 operates, and the mounting lid L1
Is separated from the next mounting lid L2. After that, the lid unloader 54 descends from the temporary stop position H3 to the standby position H1, and the mounting lid L1 is locked in the lid holding ring 96 of the lid transfer arm 82 by the lid locking claw 97 in the middle thereof. . Then, the lid transfer arm 82 rotates from the lid receiving position to the lid mounting position, whereby the mounting lid L1 is located above the lid mounting position, more specifically, above the cup C transported to the lid mounting position P3. And is transferred to the lower side of the roller 145 of the lid pressing device 14 (see FIG. 27A).

Here, referring to FIGS. 27 and 28,
The mounting of the mounting lid L1 on the cup C at the lid mounting position will be described in order. First, the cup elevating arm 124 of the vertical transport device 112 located at the lid mounting position P3 rises, and the cup C placed on the cup base 123 at the lower limit position shown in FIG. 27A is placed on the mounting lid L1 from below. Abut (see FIG. 27 (b)). Then, as the cup elevating arm 124 further rises, the cup C lifts the mounting lid L1 and the upper end of the mounting lid L1 reaches the vicinity of the roller 145 of the rotary pressing body 144. In the rising section up to this point, the cup lifting arm 124 moves up at a high speed (for example, 50 mm / s). Then, the ascending speed of the cup elevating arm 124 is switched to a low speed (for example, 5 mm / s), the cup elevating arm 124 slowly further elevates, and the mounting lid L1 rotates the rotating pressing body 144.
The three rollers 145 are contacted from below.

On the other hand, in the lid pressing device 14 above the mounting lid L1, the rotary pressing body 14 is started slightly before the timing at which the rising speed of the cup lifting arm 124 is switched.
4 is a predetermined rotation speed around the vertical axis (for example, 2 in 3 seconds)
Rotate) to rotate.

Even after the mounting lid L1 abuts against the roller 145, the cup elevating arm 124 slowly rises further. As a result, the mounting lid L1 is attached to the lower cup C.
Thus, the roller 145 of the upper rotary pressing body 144 is gradually and strongly pressed. And this mounting lid L1
Is properly and firmly attached to the cup C by snap fitting (see FIGS. 27 (c) and 6 (c)).

As described above, the reason why the mounting lid L1 is properly and firmly mounted to the cup C is mainly the play of the lid holding ring 96 in the lid transfer arm 82, the rising speed of the cup lifting arm, and the rotational pressing. Due to rotation of body 144. For example, as shown in FIG. 29 (a), when the center of the opening at the upper end of the cup C and the center of the opening at the lower end of the mounting lid L1 are displaced by about several mm, the cup C is mounted on the mounting lid. When it abuts against L1 from below, the mounting lid L1 may be slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal upper surface of the cup C, as shown in FIG.

However, in the lid mounting apparatus 2 of the present embodiment, the lid holding ring 96 of the lid transfer arm 82 holding the mounting lid L1 slightly moves in the horizontal plane due to the play, and the lid mounting ring L1 is mounted on the mounting lid L1. The abutting cup C slowly rises, and further, the rotary pressing body 14
The rotation of 4 causes the three rollers 145 to smoothly press the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the mounting lid L1. Therefore,
Even when the centers of the openings of the mounting lid L1 and the cup C are deviated from each other, the mounting lid L1 is mounted on the cup C while aligning the centers thereof as described above. It can be properly and firmly attached to the cup C.

As described above, the mounting lid L1 is mounted on the cup C, and as shown in FIG. 27 (c), the roller holder 146 of the rotary pressing body 144 causes the compression springs 150, 1
When the roller sensor 151 detects that the cup 50 has risen by a predetermined height (for example, 2 to 3 mm) against 50, the rise of the cup elevating arm 124 is stopped. Thereafter, conversely, the cup elevating arm 124 descends, and when the rotary pressing body 144 returns to the original height, as shown in FIG. 28A, the cup elevating arm 124 stops descending.

As shown in FIG. 28 (a), when the cup elevating arm 124 descends in this state, the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the mounting lid L1 is locked by the lid locking claw 97 of the lid transfer arm 82. In addition, the cup C with the lid attached may be suspended. Therefore, in order to unlock the mounting lid L1 by the lid locking claw 97,
As shown in FIG. 28B, the lid transfer arm 82 is slightly raised.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 30 (a), the lid transfer arm 82 located at the lid mounting position is moved to the lid receiving position (the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 23 (a)). The arm drive mechanism 83 is operated for a short time so as to rotate in the opposite direction. In this case, the lid transfer arm 82 contacts the rod 85 and cannot rotate beyond it. However, when the arm drive cam 103 of the arm drive mechanism 83 rotates by a predetermined angle, the lid drive arm 8 engaged with the arm drive cam 103 is moved.
The meshing with the second convex portion 91a is disengaged, and the arm driving cam 103 lifts the lid transfer arm 82 against the coil spring 94 by the meshing height. This allows
The lid transfer arm 82 rises by the same height G as the height at which it engages with the arm drive cam 103.

In this case, the cup C with the lid attached
Of the lid L1 is in contact with the rotary pressing body 144, so that the lid L1 moves down relative to the lifted lid transfer arm 82. Then, each lid locking claw 97 of the lid transfer arm 82 is pressed by the lid L1 against the torsion coil spring 99, and rotates from the lid locking position to the outer lid releasing position. As a result, the locking of the lid L1 of the lid-mounted cup C is released.

After that, the cup lifting arm 1 which has been stopped
24 descends and stops at the lower limit position as shown in FIG. 28 (c). As described above, the mounting of the mounting lid L1 on the cup C is completed. When the cup elevating arm 124 reaches the lower limit position, the lid transfer arm 82 at the lid mounting position returns to the lid receiving position in preparation for the next sale.

After the lid L has been mounted on the cup C as described above, the vertical transport device 11 at the lid mounting position P3.
As shown in FIG. 31, 2 moves to the front cup beverage providing position P4. Then, as shown by the chain double-dashed line in the figure, the cup elevating arm 124 rises to lift the lidded cup beverage D to the stage 5 a of the product take-out section 5. As a result, the sale of the cupped beverage D with a lid ends. It should be noted that when the cupped beverage D with a lid is taken out by the purchaser from the product taking-out section 5, the cup elevating arm 124, which has been raised, is lowered to the lower limit position, and the vertical conveying device 112 is moved.
Returns to the cup supply position P1 in preparation for the next sale.

Next, referring to FIG. 32, in the cupped drink D with a lid to which the lid L is attached as described above, a lid for detecting whether or not the lid L is properly attached to the cup C The proper mounting detector will be described. This lid proper attachment detecting unit is, for example, the light emitting element 16
Infrared displacement sensor 16 having 1 and light receiving element 162
Equipped with 3. The light emitting element 161 of the infrared displacement sensor 163 is provided, for example, at the upper end of the vertical transport device 112, while the light receiving element 162 is provided so as to be horizontally opposed to the light emitting element 161 with the cup stand 123 interposed therebetween. ing. The elements 161 and 162 are arranged so that the infrared ray R has a predetermined height. That is, the infrared beverage R is placed at a position S, which is slightly higher than the height to the upper end of the lid L when the lidded cup beverage D with the lid L properly attached to the cup C is placed on the cup base 123 at the lower limit position. Light emitting element 161
And the light receiving element 162 is arranged.

Therefore, when the infrared ray R is cut off by the infrared displacement sensor 163 when the cup base 123 is lowered to the lower limit position after the attachment of the lid L to the cup C is completed, the lid L is moved to the upper end of the cup C. It is determined that the cup C is not properly mounted because it is inclined with respect to the horizontal opening of the portion. When the lid L is not properly attached to the cup C, the fact is displayed on the display portion of the main door 4. Thereby, the purchaser can know that the lid L of the provided cupped beverage D with a lid is not sufficiently attached.

Further, as the lid proper attachment detecting portion, the cup base 123 of the cup lifting arm 124 is configured to rotate about the vertical axis, and the cup base 123 is detected when the lid L is detected by the infrared displacement sensor 163. The motor 123 may be rotated by a predetermined angle by a motor (not shown). In this case, by rotating the cup base 123 by at least 180 degrees, it is ensured that the upper end of the lid L exceeds the height S from the cup base 123 regardless of which direction the lid L is inclined. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably determine whether or not the lid L is properly attached to the cup C.

Further, as described above, in addition to detecting whether or not the lid L of the cupped beverage D with a lid is properly attached, when the lid L is not properly attached to the cup C, the lid L is again attached. May be attached to the cup C. In this case, an appropriate lid removing device (not shown) for removing the lid L that is improperly mounted is provided from the cup beverage D with a lid, and for the cup C from which the lid L has been removed by the lid removing device, New lid L
Are mounted again in the same manner as the series of mounting operations described above. That is, when the lid L is not properly attached at one time, the lid L is attached again. This allows
Cup drink D with a lid properly fitted with a lid L,
It can be provided more reliably.

Next, with reference to FIG. 33, setting of the high-speed rising section of the cup lifting arm 124 will be described. This setting is performed automatically, for example, at the time of initial setting when the power of the vending machine 1 is turned on, at the end of maintenance of the lid mounting device 2, or by an operator operating a predetermined button or the like. Be seen.

In this setting, first, the vertical transport device 112 moves to the lid mounting position P3 (see FIG. 24). Then
The cup elevating arm 124 at the lower limit position rises. Then, the cup base 123 abuts on the roller 145 of the upper rotary pressing body 144, and the cup elevating arm 124 further rises slightly, so that the roller holder 146 moves the cup base 123.
Can be pushed up with. When this is detected by the roller sensor 151, the cup lifting arm 124 stops rising,
Lower to the lower limit position.

In this way, the cup lifting arm 124 is
By moving up and down at the lid mounting position P3, based on the pulse number of the cup lifting motor 127 at that time,
The distance W from the cup base 123 at the lower limit position to the roller 145 of the rotary pressing body 144 is obtained. In addition to this distance W, the height X of the cup beverage D with a lid when the lid L is properly attached to the cup C, and the cup lifting arm 12 when the lid L is brought into contact with the roller 145
Based on the distance Z at which 4 should be slowly raised, the high-speed rising section Y (= W- (X + Z)) of the cup lifting arm 124 is calculated by the control device (not shown). That is, the height at which the cup elevating arm 124 should be switched from the high speed rising to the low speed rising (hereinafter referred to as “speed switching height”) is required.

This speed switching height is determined by the lid mounting position P.
3, the cup elevating arm 124 and the rotation pressing body 144
It is required properly while absorbing the manufacturing variation of the mutual distance with and the change due to use or maintenance.
Therefore, when the lid L is attached to the cup C, by controlling the ascending speed of the cup elevating arm 124 according to the speed switching height, that is, at the speed switching height from the lower limit position to a high speed (for example, 50 mm / s). ), And after reaching the speed switching height, lower speed (for example, 5 mm
/ S) to raise the lid L to the cup C
Can be mounted more reliably.

As described in detail above, according to the lid mounting apparatus 2 of the present embodiment, the detachable lid L is automatically mounted on the cup C containing the beverage before providing it to the purchaser. The purchaser can easily and safely carry the cup beverage D without spilling it, and even with a plurality of cup beverages. Even if the cupped beverage D with a lid is accidentally laid down on a table or the like, the beverage does not spill from the cup C, so the table is not soiled.
Furthermore, since the purchaser can easily attach the lid L once removed from the cup C again, by keeping the lid on the drinking cup C, the beverage can be kept hygienic. If the beverage is a hot beverage, it can also be difficult to cool.

Further, when the storage drums 26 in the lid storage device 22 are switched, the lid row in the new storage drums 26 is properly and stably set in the lid separator 41 by utilizing the elevation of the lid take-out machine 54. Can be set. As a result, even after the storage drum 26 is switched, only the lid L to be mounted can be reliably separated.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be carried out in various modes. For example, in the present embodiment, when switching the storage drums 26, a new lid row is once delivered to the lid unloader 54 and then set in the lid separator 41, but the present invention is not limited to this. Not something
A new lid row can be delivered to the lid separator and set by another appropriate lid row delivery means. Further, the detailed configuration of the lid mounting device 2 shown in the embodiment is merely an example, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0101]

As described in detail above, the lid mounting device of the cup type vending machine of the present invention can properly set the lid row to the lid disconnecting device when switching the lid row. As a result, even after switching the lid row, only the lid to be mounted can be reliably separated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cup-type vending machine including a lid mounting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the cup type vending machine of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the inside of a cup-type vending machine in which a cup dispenser is omitted.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the inside of a cup-type vending machine in which a cup dispenser is omitted.

FIG. 5 is a right side view showing the inside of a cup-type vending machine in which a lid stocker and a lid take-out / transfer device are omitted.

6A and 6B are views showing a lid and a cup, where FIG. 6A is a top view of the lid, FIG. 6B is a side view of the lid with a part cut, and FIG. 6C is a side view of the cup.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an upper end portion of a lid stocker in which a stocker frame is omitted.

FIG. 8 is a top view showing a lid stocker in which a support plate on an upper part of a stocker frame is omitted.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the base plate of the lid stocker.

10 is an enlarged front view showing a portion of the lid mounting apparatus shown in FIG. 4 from which a lid stocker is omitted.

11 shows a part of the top view of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a lid separator, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a lid cam.

13A and 13B are views for explaining the operation of the lid cam of the lid separator, FIG. 13A shows a state when each lid cam locks the lid, and FIG. 13B shows a state when the lid is separated.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a lid removing device of the lid removing / transferring device.

15A is a front view showing the lid take-out device of FIG. 15, and FIG. 15B is a view showing an internal structure of a portion surrounded by a chain line of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a top view showing a lid gripping plate,
(A) shows the state of standby and lid release, (b)
Indicates the state of gripping the lid.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an ascending / descending position of the lid unloading machine.

FIG. 18 is a view showing a lid removing / transferring device,
(A) is the top view, (b) is the front view of (a), (c)
FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the lid transfer arm taken along line I-I of FIG.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram for sequentially explaining removal of the lid from the lid separator by the lid removal machine.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram that follows FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram that follows FIG. 21.

23 is a view showing a lid transfer device in which a lid transfer arm is located at a lid mounting position, (a) is a top view thereof, and (b) is a front view of (a). FIG.

FIG. 24 is a side view showing the cup transport device.

FIG. 25 is a view showing the internal structure of the vertical transport device,
(A) is the top view, (b) is a front view.

26A and 26B are views showing a lid pressing device, FIG. 26A is a front view thereof, FIG. 26B is a partially cutaway view showing a portion encircled by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. It is an arrow line view of the II-II line of (a).

27A and 27B are views for explaining the attachment of the lid to the cup at the lid attachment position, where FIG. 27A is a state before the cup is raised, FIG. 27B is a state in which the cup is in contact with the lid, and FIG. ) Shows that the cup is raised further and the lid is firmly fitted into the cup.

28 is an explanatory view following FIG. 27, (a) showing a state in which the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the lid mounted on the cup is locked by the lid locking claws of the lid transfer arm, (b) shows the lid transfer arm. Shows the state in which the lid is unlocked by the lid locking claw, and (c) shows the state in which the cup is lowered.

FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the mounting of the lid on the cup in a state where the center of the cup and the center of the mounting lid deviate from each other.

FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the unlocking of the lid by the lid locking claw by raising the lid transfer arm at the lid mounting position.

FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the vertical transport device at the cup beverage providing position.

FIG. 32 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a lid proper mounting detection unit that detects whether or not the lid is properly mounted in the cup beverage with a lid.

FIG. 33 is an explanatory diagram for explaining setting of a high-speed rising section of the cup lifting arm.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 vending machine 2 lid mounting device 11 lid stocker 22 lid storage 23 Stocker drive mechanism (storage device drive means) 24 Base plate (base) 24a Lid take-out hole (lid passage hole) 26 Storage drum (storage section) 41 Lid Separator (Lid Separator) 54 Lid take-out machine (lid row delivery member) 73 Lifting mechanism (driving mechanism) C cup D cup beverage L lid

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kazuyoshi Ishii             Sanyo, 5-20-8 Asakusabashi, Taito-ku, Tokyo             Electric Vending Machine Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3E047 AA02 DA01 DB03 GA10

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A lid mounting device for a cup-type vending machine for mounting a lid on a cup containing a beverage at the time of sale, comprising: Each of the lids has a plurality of vertically extending storage portions for storing the vertically stacked lid rows, and one of the plurality of storage portions is located above the lid passage hole. A lid accommodating unit movably mounted on the base, and a lid row accommodated in the one accommodating portion provided below the lid passage hole of the base and located above the lid passage hole. With the lid supported from below, the lid row is set, and at the time of sale, a lid disconnecting device that disconnects the lowest lid from the lid row, and the lid disconnecting device. When the lid row set in the container is switched to another lid row, the lid storage device is driven so that the storage portion that stores the other lid row is located above the lid passage hole. A container driving means, and a lid row delivery means for delivering the other lid row moved above the lid passage hole by being driven by the housing drive means to the lid disconnecting device while supporting the lid row from below. A lid mounting device for a cup-type vending machine, which is characterized by being provided. 2. The lid disconnecting device has an opening that penetrates in the vertical direction and locks the lowest lid of the lid row, and the lid delivering / receiving means passes through the opening, A lid row transfer member that is provided so as to be able to move up and down between the lower portion of the lid disconnector and the lid passage hole, and that can support the lid row from below; a drive mechanism that drives this lid row delivery member to move up and down; Before the lid row reaches above the lid passage hole, the lid row delivery member is raised to the lid passage hole, and after the lid row delivery member supports the other lid row, the lid row delivery member is delivered. The cup-type automatic according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that controls the drive mechanism so as to lower the member to a position below the lid disconnecting device. Lid mounting apparatus of sale machine.