JP2004157667A - Direct stack type article storage rack for vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accommodate diverse article shapes by improving a control cam for a small flapper for supporting the second lowest article in a storage position, as measures against diversification of sold articles in a direct stack type article storage rack. <P>SOLUTION: The direct stack type article storage rack for a vending machine stores a vertical stack of articles in an article passage of a column and dispenses down the lowest articles in order by actions of a vending mechanism. The control cam 13 for the small flapper 8 projected into the article passage in a selling action to temporarily hold the second lowest article is a stepped cam with a plurality of cam parts 13a and 13b, and the control cam is arranged on the axis of an output shaft 11 of a vending motor 10 so as to face the back of the small flapper. An adjustment of the small flapper to a height position H1 or H2 changes the projection of the small flapper 8 to A or B accordingly to accommodate diverse article shapes. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure of a direct-stacking type product storage rack of a vending machine.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art As a product storage rack of a vending machine that sells cup products, paper pack products, and the like, a direct storage type product storage rack is well known. The direct-stacking type product storage rack stores and stacks products in a vertical row in a product passage of a column defined in a box-shaped rack case, and drops and discharges the products in order from the lowest order by the operation of the bend mechanism. The bend mechanism is composed of a large flapper that carries and carries the products arranged in the lowest order, and a small flapper that temporarily holds the products arranged in the second order from the lowest position between the side walls of the rack case and supports the products in the storage position. A control cam (sector cam corresponding to the large flapper and extrusion cam corresponding to the small flapper), which is connected to the output shaft of the bend motor and allows the large flapper and the small flapper to alternately enter and exit the product passage in accordance with the product sales operation. This bend mechanism is mounted on a partition frame of a rack case (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
Further, in order to cope with the sale of various products having different shapes and sizes of containers, in the above-mentioned direct-loading type product storage rack, the mounting height of the small flapper for supporting the products arranged second from the bottom at the storage position is set to the product container. There is known an adjusting mechanism that moves and adjusts the support base of the small flapper to each adjusting stage as an adjusting mechanism that moves and adjusts up and down according to the height size of the flapper. 2). Further, as a means for regulating the width of the product passage of the column in accordance with the external size (width size) of the product, a configuration in which a width adjuster is provided on a column side wall of a product storage rack via a link-type support mechanism is also known. (For example, see Patent Document 3).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent No. 2708297 [Patent Document 2]
JP-A-8-305952 [Patent Document 3]
JP-A-11-185139
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Recently, the shape and size of containers have been increasingly diversified. For example, even noodles products are various such as bowl containers or vertically long cup containers. For this reason, the direct-stacking type product storage rack of a vending machine that sells these products is required to have a function capable of coping with various products having different shapes and sizes of containers.
On the other hand, in the conventional product storage rack of the conventional configuration described above, the control cam for the small flapper has a constant distance from the center of the rotation shaft to the cam surface at the tip end as disclosed in Patent Document 1. Even if the height position of the small flapper is adjusted according to the product size (see Patent Document 2), the protrusion of the small flapper is constant regardless of the height position. Therefore, the only way to accommodate various product shapes is to increase the number of adjustment stages of the width adjuster (see Patent Document 3).
[0006]
However, it is difficult to increase the number of adjustment stages of the width adjuster within the limited column space, and if the number of adjustment stages is increased, the adjustment work when changing products to be sold at the vending machine at the location is complicated, and If the width adjuster is set incorrectly, there is a risk of causing trouble in the product unloading operation.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and as a countermeasure for diversification of products for sale, it is possible to diversify by merely changing the shape of a control cam that causes a small flapper to appear and disappear in a product passage without increasing the number of adjustment stages of a width adjuster. It is an object of the present invention to provide a direct-stacking type product storage rack improved so as to be adaptable to various product shapes.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a bend mechanism for dropping and carrying out products stacked and stored in a line in a vertical direction in a product passage of a column defined in a box-shaped rack case from the bottom to the bottom is provided at the bottom. A large flapper for carrying and carrying the lined-up products, a small flapper for temporarily holding the second-lowest lined product between the side walls of the rack case to support the storage position, and an output shaft of the bend motor, A direct stacking type product storage rack with a combination of a control cam that allows the large flapper and small flapper to enter and exit the product aisle in accordance with the sales operation, and that has an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the height position of the small flapper according to the product size ,
A plurality of cam portions having different distances from the rotation center of the control cam corresponding to the small flapper to the tip cam surface applied to the small flapper are formed in the upper and lower stages (claim 1).
[0008]
In the above configuration, when the height position of the small flapper is adjusted in accordance with the size of the product to be stacked and stored in the column of the rack, the position of the control cam corresponding to the small flapper is relatively displaced, and the protrusion of the small flapper changes. That is, the amount of protrusion of the small flapper into the product passage can be changed in a plurality of ways by the plurality of cam portions formed on the control cam. Accordingly, by combining the width adjuster and the control cam, the variation of the width of the passage between the width adjuster and the small flapper protruding into the product passage can be increased, and it is possible to cope with various product shapes.
Further, according to the present invention, the control cam described above can be specifically configured in the following manner.
[0009]
(1) The control cam corresponding to the small flapper is constituted by a stepped cam in which a plurality of cam portions arranged in a stepwise manner are formed on a unitary cam, and the control cam faces the back of the small flapper and is disposed on the output shaft of the bend motor. (Claim 2).
(2) The control cam corresponding to the small flapper is divided into a plurality of cam bodies having different distances from the rotation center of the control cam to the end face of the small flapper. They are arranged side by side on the output shaft (claim 3).
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on illustrated examples. First, FIG. 3 shows a configuration of a bend mechanism mounted on a direct-stacking type product storage rack. FIG. 3 shows a sales standby state in which products are stored.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a box-shaped rack case having an open front and lower surface, and 2 denotes a column defined on the left and right sides of a column partition frame 3 of the rack case 1, and a bend mechanism 4 is provided on the product discharge end side. Is provided inside the partition frame 3. In addition, a width adjuster 5 and an adjustment support mechanism 5a (see Patent Document 3) are provided on the side wall of the column 2 so as to face the bend mechanism 4. Then, in the product passage of the column 2, products 6 (bowl container products) are stacked and stored in a row in the upper and lower rows as shown.
[0011]
Here, the bend mechanism 4 is basically the same as the bend mechanism disclosed in Patent Literature 1, and includes a large flapper 7 that carries the lowest order product 6 stacked and stored in the column 2 and A small flapper 8 arranged to face the side of the second lined product, an adjusting mechanism 9 for adjusting the height position of the small flapper 8 according to the height size of the product 6, and a bend motor 10 is a fan-shaped control cam 12 attached to the output shaft 11 to open and close the large flapper 8, and a control cam 13 attached to the output shaft 11 to operate the small flapper 9 toward the product passage (this control cam). Is described later in detail). In addition, 14 is a shaft coupling between the bend motor 10 and the output shaft 11, and 15 is a bearing of the output shaft 11.
[0012]
Next, the detailed structure and operation of the control cam 13 according to the first aspect of the present invention for the control cam 13 for projecting the small flapper 8 toward the product passage of the column 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. explain. That is, the control cam 13 in the illustrated example is a stepped cam in which a cam portion 13a is formed in the lower half of a vertically long unitary cam and 13b is formed in the upper half, and the boss portion is inserted into the output shaft 11 to attach the mounting pin. 16 fixed on the shaft.
Here, in the cam portions 13a and 13b, the distance between the rotation center O of the output shaft 11 and each end cam surface (arc surface) is set to R1, R2 (R1 <R2). It is mounted on the output shaft 11 in accordance with the vertical adjustment range of the small flapper 8 described above.
[0013]
With the above configuration, the small flapper 8 is set to H1 or H2 in the figure by the adjusting mechanism 9 (see FIG. 3) according to the height size of the product container (bowl container, vertically long cup container, etc.). Then, when the control cam 13 is rotated from the standby position, the cam portion 13a of the control cam 13 hits at the height position H1 to project the small flapper 8 to the chain line position, and at the height position H2, the cam portion 13b moves to the small flapper. Push out at 8. As a result, the protrusion margin of the small flapper 8 changes to A and B (A <B), respectively.
Next, a description will be given of the product unloading operation when the sold product is a bowl container or a vertically long cup container with reference to FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) and FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b). That is, when selling a bowl container product, the height position of the small flapper supporting the second lowest product is set to H1 in FIG. 1 according to the product size (height), and the control cam is set. The 13 cam portions 13a face the small flapper 8, and the products 6 are stacked and stored in the product path of the column 2 (see FIG. 3). Here, when the bend mechanism 4 is operated based on the command, as shown in FIG. 4, the control cam 13 first rotates from the standby position to protrude the small flapper 8 into the product path, and moves the second product from the lowest to the width adjuster. Hold it between 5. In this state, the protrusion of the small flapper 8 is A. Subsequently, when the control cam (sector-shaped cam) 12 holding the large flapper 7 in the horizontal position is rotated to release the large flapper 7, the large flapper 7 is rotated to the hanging position as shown in FIG. To release. As a result, the products 6 arranged at the lowest position are freely dropped downward and carried out. Also, after the product is carried out, the control cam 12 returns first to hold the large flapper 7 in a horizontal position, and then the control cam 13 retreats to release the restraint of the small flapper 8, so that the small flapper 8 is supported by the small flapper 8. The second product that has been dropped falls on the large flapper 7 and returns to the sales standby state shown in FIG. 3 again.
[0014]
On the other hand, when the sales product 6 is changed to a product of a cup container smaller in diameter and longer than the bowl container (see FIGS. 3 and 4), the small flapper 8 is operated by operating the height position adjusting mechanism 9 of the small flapper. After setting the height position at H2 in FIG. 1, the products are stacked and stored in the column 2. In this case, the width adjuster 5 is set at the same position as in FIGS. Here, when a command to carry out the product is given, the bend mechanism 4 operates in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. 3 to carry out the product, but in this case, the small flapper 8 is moved by the cam portion 13b of the control cam 13 (see FIG. 1). ), The protrusion of the small flapper 8 is B. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the second lowest commodity (cup container) 6 can be sandwiched and held between the width adjuster 5 and the small flapper 8.
[0015]
Next, FIG. 2 shows a structure of a control cam according to a third aspect of the present invention. That is, the control cam 13 of FIG. 1 forms the cam portions 13a and 13b as stepped cams, but the control cam of FIG. 2 uses two independent cams 13a and 13b of FIG. After being divided into the bodies 13A and 13B, the directions of the cam bodies are aligned and fixed on the shaft of the output shaft 11 with the mounting pins 16.
In this way, by forming the cam portions having different distances from the center of the rotation shaft to the tip cam surface by independent single cams, the control cam corresponding to the type of the product to be sold by the vending machine and the shape of the product container can be obtained. It can be selectively mounted on the bend mechanism 4 of the direct stack type product storage rack and used.
[0016]
In the illustrated embodiment (FIGS. 3 to 5), the selling operation in the case where the product 6 is stored in only one column (left side) of the column 2 defined on both sides of the bend mechanism 4 is described. However, it goes without saying that the product can be similarly sold by storing the product in the left and right columns. In this case, when selling the same kind of product in the left and right columns, the small flapper 8 is set to the same height position. However, the height position adjusting mechanism 9 of the small flapper is adjusted, and the left column and the right column are adjusted. If the small flapper 8 is set at different heights between the columns, different products (for example, a bowl container and a cup container) can be sold in the left and right columns. Further, by combining the control cam 13 having a plurality of stages of cam portions with the adjustment of the width adjuster 5, the variation of the width of the passage between the width adjuster and the small flapper protruding into the product passage is increased, and various shapes are formed. It will be able to respond to product sales.
[0017]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the bend mechanism for dropping and discharging the products stacked and stored in a line in the vertical direction in the product passage of the column defined in the box-shaped rack case from the bottom to the bottom is a product lined up at the bottom. A large flapper that carries and carries the product, a small flapper that temporarily holds the product lined up from the bottom to the storage position by sandwiching it between the side walls of the rack case, and a sales operation that is connected to the output shaft of the bend motor. A direct stacking type product storage rack comprising a combination of a control cam for causing large flapper and small flapper to protrude and retract in the product passage according to the size of the product, and further comprising an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height position of the small flapper according to the product size. The control cam corresponding to the small flapper is formed with a plurality of cam portions having different distances from the center of rotation to the tip cam surface applied to the small flapper, which are arranged in upper and lower stages. By,
The amount of protrusion of the small flapper into the product passage can be changed in a plurality of ways by a plurality of cam portions formed on the control cam. Thus, by combining the width adjuster and the control cam, the variation of the width of the passage between the width adjuster and the small flapper protruding into the product passage can be increased to correspond to various product shapes.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the structure and operation of a small flapper control cam provided in a bend mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a longitudinal sectional side view of the control cam shown together with a small flapper, and (b) is a plan view; FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing the structure of an embodiment of a control cam different from that of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a direct-stacking type product storage rack employing the control cam of FIG. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the configuration around the bend mechanism showing a standby state for selling products, FIG. 4B is a plan view of a main part of the bend mechanism in FIG. ) Is a view showing the state of the bend mechanism during the unloading operation, and (b) is an enlarged view of the small flapper and its control cam section in (a). ) Shows the state during the unloading operation of the bend mechanism, and (b) shows (a) Small flapper and enlarged view of the control cam unit definitive EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rack case 2 Column 3 Rack partition column partition frame 4 Bend mechanism 5 Width adjuster 6 Product 7 Large flapper 8 Small flapper 9 Small flapper height position adjustment mechanism 10 Bend motor 11 Output shaft 12 Large flapper control cam 13 Small flapper Control cams 13a, 13b Cam portions 13A, 13B of stepped cams Cam bodies A, B Projection allowance of small flapper

Claims (3)

A direct-stacking type product storage rack of a vending machine that stores and stacks products in a vertical line in a product passage of a column defined in a box-shaped rack case, and drops and discharges the products in order from the bottom by operation of a bend mechanism. A large flapper on which the bend mechanism carries a product lined up at the bottom, and a small flapper for temporarily holding the product lined up at the bottom from the bottom of the rack case at a storage position by sandwiching it between the side walls of the rack case; Combined with a control cam that connects the output shaft of the bend motor to the large flapper and small flapper in and out of the product passage according to the sales operation, and an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the height position of the small flapper according to the product size In the provided,
A direct-stacking type product of a vending machine, wherein a plurality of cam portions having different distances from the center of rotation to a tip cam surface applied to the small flapper are formed in a control cam corresponding to the small flapper and arranged in upper and lower stages. Storage rack. The direct-stacking type product storage rack according to claim 1, wherein the control cam corresponding to the small flapper is a stepped cam having a plurality of cam portions arranged in a stepwise manner on a single cam, and the control cam is a small flapper. A direct-stacking type product storage rack for a vending machine, which is installed on the output shaft of a bend motor facing behind. The direct-stacking type product storage rack according to claim 1, wherein the control cam corresponding to the small flapper is divided into a plurality of cam bodies having different distances from the rotation center to a cam end face corresponding to the small flapper. A direct-stacking type product storage rack for a vending machine characterized in that the rack is arranged on the output shaft of a bend motor facing behind a small flapper.

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