JP2005173803A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine that surely conveys articles and stores many articles. <P>SOLUTION: In the vending machine equipped with an article conveyance unit which conveys an article array to a head article side and a bucket which has an article acquisition opening facing the heat article side of the article conveyance unit and moves in a conveying direction orthogonal to the article array to acquire the head article in the article array; the article conveyance unit has a position-restricting member which is pivoted on the head article side and elastically energized upward, at right angles to the conveyance direction to rotate the direction of crossing the conveyance direction and restricts the position of the head article; and the bucket has a driving mechanism which rotates the position restricting member downward in a direction crossing the conveyance direction, according to the driving force of a driving source. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more particularly to a vending machine that delivers and sells a top product to a bucket from a product row that is placed and transported on a product transport unit.

  The vending machine includes a product transport unit for placing a product row and transporting it to the top product side, and a bucket for sequentially acquiring the top product from the opening of the product transport unit. There is something. Here, for example, the product transport unit is provided with a drive pulley and a driven pulley on its base, and a belt for transporting the product row is stretched around the two pulleys. In addition, the bucket is movable in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the commodity row, for example, and has a commodity acquisition port facing the opening of the commodity conveyance unit with a predetermined gap. Here, among the directions orthogonal to the product row, for example, the direction in which the product rows are lined up is the X direction, the vertical direction of the vending machine is the Y direction, and the conveyance direction of the product row is the Z direction (+ Z is Front, -Z is rear). For example, the bucket is held by a guide rail extending in the X direction supported by an appropriate mechanism movable in the Y direction, and can move in the XY direction by moving along the guide rail. is there.

For example, in order to prevent the top product from falling from the end of the belt when the product is stopped, the product transport unit of the conventional vending machine has a product fall prevention stopper that is movable in the vertical direction (Y direction). Some are provided with the predetermined gap. That is, the product fall prevention stopper moves upward (+ Y direction) to contact the leading product, and moves downward (−Y direction) to retract from the opening of the product transport unit. The product fall prevention stopper is always biased upward by a spring, but is provided with an appropriate member that can release the spring bias by a backward (−Z direction) pressing operation. There is. On the other hand, some buckets of conventional vending machines include, for example, an appropriate drive mechanism that performs the above-described backward pressing operation.
JP 2000-113306 A

  However, when the above-described bucket acquires a product from the above-described product transport unit, the rearward (−Z direction) from the bucket to the product fall prevention stopper of the product transport unit to release the position restriction of the product. The force of acts. As a reaction force against this force, the bucket receives a force forward (+ Z direction) from the commodity transport unit. For this reason, when the lower part of the bucket is held by the above-described guide rail, there is a possibility that the forward force forms a moment with the lower part of the bucket as a fulcrum and the bucket is inclined forward. If the bucket is inclined, there is a risk that the product is not reliably delivered from the product transport unit to the bucket. On the other hand, in order to stabilize the bucket against such a moment, for example, it is necessary to hold the upper part of the bucket by an appropriate member. However, the space in the vending machine is obstructed by this member, and the vending There is a risk that the product storage capacity of the machine will decrease.

  This invention is made | formed in view of this subject, The place made into the objective is to provide a vending machine with which the goods are conveyed reliably and the storage amount of the said goods is large.

  The invention for solving the problem includes a product transport unit that transports a product row to the top product side, and a product acquisition port that faces the top product side of the product transport unit, and the transport direction of the product row A vending machine including a bucket that moves in an orthogonal direction to obtain a top product of the product row, wherein the product transport unit is pivotally supported on the top product side and intersects the transport direction A position restricting member that is elastically biased upward and rotates in a direction intersecting with the conveying direction to restrict the position of the leading product, and the bucket restricts the position according to a driving force of a driving source. And a drive mechanism for rotating the member downward in a direction intersecting the transport direction. According to this vending machine, the position restricting member of the commodity transport unit rotates in the direction intersecting the transport direction to restrict the position of the leading commodity so that the bucket drive mechanism also operates in the same direction. it can. That is, the position regulating member can be rotated so that a force in the transport direction does not act between the position regulating member and the bucket drive mechanism. Thereby, for example, the bucket does not incline due to the force in the conveying direction, and therefore, a member or the like for strengthening the holding of the bucket is not necessary in order to prevent the inclination. The product is smoothly delivered from the product transport unit to the stable bucket without being inclined, and space obstruction in the vending machine due to the member or the like is also prevented. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably convey the product and provide a vending machine with a large storage amount of the product.

  In the vending machine, when the position restricting member restricts the position of the top product, the position restricting member protrudes upward from the conveying surface of the product row by the elastic bias and delivers the top product to the bucket. The product is retracted below the conveying surface of the commodity row against the elastic bias. In order to retract the position restricting member elastically biased to restrict the position, the bucket drive mechanism needs to rotate the position restricting member against the elastic bias. In this case, the bucket may be inclined, for example, by receiving a reaction force of this elastic bias through the drive mechanism. However, in the vending machine of the present invention, the position regulating member can be rotated and retracted so that no force in the conveying direction acts between the position regulating member and the drive mechanism. Inclination can be prevented. Accordingly, the product is reliably delivered from the product transport unit to the bucket, and thus the product can be transported reliably.

  Further, in the vending machine, the commodity transport unit includes a rotation stop member for stopping the position regulating member at a predetermined position below the transport surface of the commodity row against the elastic bias. The drive mechanism has a direction that intersects the transport direction after the position restricting member stops at a predetermined position below the conveying surface of the commodity row against the elastic bias. It has a link member elastically urging below. According to this vending machine, if the position restricting member is biased by a force that resists elastic biasing toward the rotation stop member, for example, the position restricting member can be stopped at the predetermined position. Further, even after the position restricting member stops at the predetermined position, if this urging by the link member continues, a stable stop state of the position restricting member at the predetermined position is maintained. Thereby, even if the dimension of the position restricting member or the rotation stop member varies, the position restricting member can be reliably stopped at the predetermined position. Therefore, when the product is delivered from the product transport unit to the bucket, the position restricting member is securely retracted, so that the delivery is smooth. Therefore, it is possible to provide a vending machine that reliably conveys products.

  In the vending machine, the position restricting member includes a projecting piece that contacts the link member and rotates against the elastic bias. According to this vending machine, in order to rotate the position restricting member in the direction intersecting with the conveying direction, the protrusion provided on the position restricting member may be rotated in the direction intersecting with the conveying direction. Therefore, the operation of the link member that contacts the protruding piece may be a rotation in a direction intersecting the transport direction. Since the drive mechanism that performs such an operation does not receive a reaction force along the transport direction from the commodity transport unit, the bucket including the drive mechanism becomes stable. Therefore, it is possible to provide a vending machine that reliably conveys products.

  Further, in the vending machine, the bucket has a placement surface on which the top product of the product row is placed between the product acquisition port and a product payout port on the opposite side of the product acquisition port, The drive mechanism is disposed below the placement surface. According to this vending machine, the drive mechanism is arranged below the placement surface of the bucket, so that the center of gravity of the bucket can also be located below. Thereby, the bucket becomes stable, and a vending machine that reliably conveys the product can be provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, goods can be conveyed reliably and the vending machine with the big storage amount of the said goods can be provided.

  As illustrated in the front view of FIG. 1, the vending machine of the present embodiment includes, for example, cans, bottles, plastic bottles, beverages enclosed in paper packs, dairy products contained in containers such as cups, Products 40 having various shapes and sizes, such as confectionery, can be sold. The external configuration of the vending machine according to the present embodiment mainly includes a housing 10 and a door-type front panel 13 provided on the front surface of the housing 10 so as to be opened and closed. In addition, since the vending machine according to the present embodiment is a so-called see-through type, the front panel 13 has a transparent plate incorporated therein, and the customer 40 stores the product 40 stored in the vending machine. Sales operations etc. can be seen through from the outside. Further, on the portion other than the transparent plate of the front panel 13, an operation panel 14 that is operated by the customer when selecting the product 40 to be purchased, and a display panel 15 on which various information such as the input amount, change amount, and product number are displayed. , A cash receiving device 16 for receiving banknotes and coins, a product paying unit 17 (a product paying exit) for a customer to take out the product 40, a change paying unit 18 for returning change, a locking device 19, and the like. ing.

  The product storage room inside the vending machine is formed from a plurality of storage shelves 50 extending vertically (Y direction). In each storage shelf 50, a product case 30 is stored so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction (Z direction) of the vending machine. A partition plate 65 that partitions the space in the product case 30 in the left-right direction (X direction) is provided inside the product case 30, and a plurality of spaces that are spaces for storing the product 40 by the partition plate 65. A product column 39 is formed. The product 40 is accommodated in the product column 39 in a state of being lined up in the front-rear direction. Further, in the space between the front panel 13 and the front end of the storage shelf 50, a bucket 90 is provided for moving in this space in the X and Y directions and for transferring the product 40 to the position of the product delivery unit 17. Yes.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the configuration of the above-described product case 30 and its peripheral portion as viewed from the front side obliquely upward. The product case 30 mainly includes a bottom plate 31 having a substantially rectangular shape, a back plate 32 having a predetermined height formed at the rear end portion of the bottom plate 31, and predetermined portions formed at both ends of the bottom plate 31. And a side plate 33 having a height. The partition plate 65 described above has a substantially rectangular shape, and has substantially the same length as the depth of the product case 30 in the front-rear direction (Z direction). The partition plate 65 has an L-shaped key portion 66 formed at a predetermined position at the lower end, and a protruding plate portion 67 formed at the rear end. Furthermore, the partition plate 65 inserts the key portion 66 into the slit 35 provided on the bottom plate 31 of the product case 30, and the projecting plate portion 67 on the slit 34 formed on the back plate 32 of the product case 30. The product case 30 is attached by being inserted. With such a configuration, the partition plate 65 can be easily attached to an arbitrary position of the product case 30.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a conveyor unit 41 (product transport unit) for moving the product 40 in the front-rear direction (Z direction) is attached to the bottom of the product column 39.

  The conveyor unit 41 includes an endless belt 43 that is driven in the front-rear direction, and a conveyor base 45 that supports the belt 43. The belt 43 is for placing the product 40 and transporting it forward (in the + Z direction). A belt-like woven fabric of synthetic fibers is connected in a ring shape, and along its both ends, for example, a backrest plate described later Sprocket holes 44 for fixing 60 to a predetermined position of the belt 43 are provided at regular intervals. The belt 43 is stretched around a driving pulley 54 and a driven pulley 55 provided on the front end side and the rear end side of the conveyor base 45, respectively. In addition, an L-shaped key portion 42 is provided at the lower portion of the conveyor base 45, and the conveyor unit 41 is configured to fit the bottom plate 31 of the product case 30 by fitting the key portion 42 into the slit 35 of the product case 30. It can be attached to. That is, the conveyor unit 41 can be mounted at an arbitrary position of the product case 30 according to the size of the product 40, the type of the product 40, and the like.

  The drive pulley 54 provided at the front end of the conveyor unit 41 is provided with a belt gear 53 that receives the power for driving the belt 43 from the bucket 90 side, coaxially therewith. That is, the belt gear 53 is engaged with a gear mechanism 99 (FIGS. 3 and 4) provided in the bucket 90, and transmits power for moving the belt 43 from the bucket 90. Further, a movable stopper 70 (position restricting member), which will be described later, is provided at the front end of the conveyor unit 41. The movable stopper 70 (position restricting member) will be described later. It is provided via a delivery member 71. In FIG. 2, a movable stopper 70 (described later) is positioned on the upper side (+ Y side) to restrict the position of the product 40 (dotted line), and the lower side (−Y side) to retract from the opening of the conveyor unit 41. And the state (solid line) located in FIG.

  The backrest plate 60 is mounted on the conveyor base 45 in an upright state, and the product 40 is fed forward (+ Z side) by a pressing force from the backrest plate 60. The backrest plate 60 has a projection (not shown) at the bottom, and is fitted to the conveyor base 45 by fitting the projection into the sprocket hole 44 of the belt 43. Further, the backrest plate 60 moves in the forward direction as the belt 43 is driven while abutting against the product 40 placed at the end of the product row. Thereby, the goods 40 are reliably delivered to the front side of the vending machine.

  On the other hand, in the space between the front panel 13 and the front end of the storage shelf 50, there is provided a bucket 90 that moves in the XY direction, that is, over the entire front side of the plurality of product columns 39 (see FIG. 1). In the case 10 of the vending machine, a horizontal movement mechanism (not shown) that moves the bucket 90 in the width direction (X direction) of the vending machine and a vertical movement that moves the bucket 90 up and down (Y direction). A mechanism (not shown) is provided, and the bucket 90 is supported by these mechanisms. Each of the horizontal movement mechanism and the vertical movement mechanism includes a guide rail (not shown) that movably supports the bucket 90, and an electric motor (not shown) for moving the bucket 90. By detecting the position in the width direction and the vertical direction of each product column 39 by position detection means (not shown) such as a sensor, the bucket 90 is moved to an arbitrary product column 39.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bucket 90 as viewed from the product acquisition port side. The bucket 90 includes a storage portion 91 that forms a space in which the product 40 pushed from the product column 39 by the belt 43 in the front direction (+ Z direction) is stored. Further, the bucket 90 includes a lever mechanism 95 (drive mechanism) described later for retracting a movable stopper 70 described later to the lower side of the conveyor unit 41. The lever mechanism 95 includes a lever member 93 made of a substantially square plate shown on the lower side (−Y side) of the accommodating portion 91 in FIG. 3, and the lever member 93 is connected to the lever member shaft portion 93a. While rotating around (arrow in FIG. 3), it is moved to the right side (−X side) in FIG. Further, the bucket 90 includes a gear mechanism 99 that meshes with the belt gear 53 of the conveyor unit 41 when the bucket 90 is positioned at the front end of the commodity column 39, and an appropriate drive for driving the gear mechanism 99. And an electric motor (not shown). As illustrated in the side view of FIG. 4, the gear mechanism 99 of the present embodiment protrudes from the lower side (−Y side) of the product acquisition port of the bucket 90 to the belt gear 53 of the conveyor unit 41. After the product 40 is transported, it is retracted to the lower side of the bucket 90. By such an operation of the gear mechanism 99, a force in the transport direction (Z direction) does not act between the gear mechanism 99 and the belt gear 53. In addition, the bucket 90 is a bucket belt drive mechanism (for driving the bucket belt 92 (mounting surface)) when the product 40 stored in the storage unit 91 is discharged to the product discharge unit 17 (FIG. 1). (Not shown).

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control circuit for realizing various functions of the vending machine according to the present embodiment. This control circuit is provided at a predetermined position in the rear side of the front panel 13 or the housing 10, for example. A main control unit 410 shown in FIG. 5 controls the various functions of the vending machine in an integrated manner, and is a microcomputer having a CPU 411, a ROM 412, a RAM 413, a peripheral circuit 414, etc. shown in FIG. . The CPU 411 controls the plurality of slave control unit groups 420 according to the result of decoding the program data read from the ROM 412. The RAM 413 stores work data (work data) logically operated by the CPU 411, various data supplied from the slave control unit group 420, and the like. The ROM 412 stores program data, reference table data, and the like in advance. The ROM 412 includes a mask ROM that burns and fixes data in a manufacturing process, and a nonvolatile memory element such as an EPROM or an EEPROM that can repeatedly write / read data by erasing the data with ultraviolet rays. The RAM 413 is configured by a volatile element such as SRAM. In the present embodiment, data in the RAM 413 is held by a backup power source.

  The main control unit 410 includes an input / output control unit 421 that controls the operation panel 14 and the display panel 15, a monetary receipt control unit 422 that performs control related to monetary receipt, movement of the bucket 90 itself in the XY plane, and bucket 90 A slave control unit group 420 such as a bucket control unit 423 that controls various mechanisms (not shown) provided is connected. As with the main control unit 410, each circuit constituting the sub control unit group 420 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a peripheral circuit, and the like.

=== Composition of product transport unit ===
The configuration of the conveyor unit 41 (product conveyance unit) in the vending machine according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in the side view of FIG. 6, the conveyor base 45, which is one of the main components of the conveyor unit 41 described above, includes an upper surface plate 45a having a substantially rectangular shape and a front-rear direction (Z Direction) and a pair of side plates 45b integrally formed. The drive pulley 54 described above rotates around a shaft (not shown) loosely fitted in a pair of opposed holes (not shown) provided on the front end side (+ Z side) of the pair of side plates 45b. It is possible to move. The belt gear 53 described above is fixed to the driving pulley 54 via the shaft portion, and the driving pulley 54 rotates together with the belt gear 53. The driven pulley 55 (FIG. 2) described above is provided by being appropriately elastically urged rearward on the rear end side (−Z side, FIG. 2) of the upper surface plate 45a. Due to this elastic bias, the tension acting on the belt 43 stretched around the drive pulley 54 and the driven pulley 55 becomes larger, and the product 40 is more stably conveyed on the conveying surface of the belt 43.

  As shown in the side view of FIG. 6, the delivery member 71 described above has a concave shape so as to cover the drive pulley 54, and the concave-shaped front end (+ Z side), rear end (−Z side), The projections 71a and 71b provided in pairs are fitted and locked in the holes 46a and 46b provided in pairs in the pair of side plates 45a of the conveyor unit 41, respectively, and fixed to the side plates 45a. Is. The pair of holes 46b at the rear end and the protrusions 71b fitted and locked in the holes 46b increase the tension acting on the belt 43, and the product 40 is more stable on the conveying surface of the belt 43. And is to be transported. The front surface 72 of the delivery member 71 is formed with a support surface 72a that supports the aforementioned movable stopper 70 (position restricting member) at a predetermined angle θ described later with respect to the vertical direction (Y direction). A product delivery surface 72b for delivering the product 40 that is flat in the horizontal direction (Z direction) is formed at a position lower than the conveying surface of the belt 43 by a predetermined distance h. Further, the back surface portion 72c of the commodity delivery surface 72b is separated from the conveying surface of the belt 43 stretched around the drive pulley 54 by a predetermined distance d in the horizontal direction.

  The movable stopper 70 described above is provided for the shaft support provided on the support surface 72a along the support surface 72a of the front surface portion 72 of the delivery member 71, as shown in the side view of FIG. 6 and the perspective view of FIG. It is pivotally supported around the hole 72d (FIG. 7B) so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction (Y direction). 6, as in the perspective view of FIG. 2, the movable stopper 70 is positioned on the upper side (+ Y side) to restrict the position of the product 40 (dotted line), and the opening of the conveyor unit 41. A state (solid line) positioned on the lower side (−Y side) to retreat from the part is illustrated. The predetermined angle θ formed by the support surface 72a of the front surface portion 72 of the delivery member 71 described above is set so that only the upper end portion of the movable stopper 70 in contact with the product 40 when the movable stopper 70 is positioned on the upper side. Is. Further, the upper portion of the movable stopper 70 in a state where the movable stopper 70 is positioned on the lower side is in a horizontal direction (Z direction) at a position lower than the product delivery surface 72b of the front surface 72 of the delivery member 71 by a predetermined distance h ′. ), A product delivery assisting surface 70a for delivering the product 40 is formed.

  Further, as shown in the side view of FIG. 6, the spring 73 is stretched between the spring locking portion 73 a provided in the movable stopper 70 and the spring locking portion 73 b provided in the delivery member 71. Has been. The two stoppers 73a and 73b are always pulled by the spring 73, so that the movable stopper 70 is elastically biased upward (+ Y side).

  As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 7 (a), the movable stopper 70 is made of a fan-shaped plate, and the shaft-supporting hole 72d (see FIG. 7 (b)) is provided with a shaft support projection 70b fitted and locked. Here, FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the movable stopper 70 viewed from the back side, and FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the delivery member 71 viewed from the front side.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7A, the shaft support protrusion 70b has a cylindrical shape that can be fitted into the shaft support hole 72d, and a pair of protrusion pieces 70c are provided on the upper surface of the column shape. Yes. As shown in FIG. 7B, the shaft support hole 72d is also provided with a notch 72e corresponding to the protrusion piece 70c. The movable stopper 70 first fits the shaft support protrusion 70b and the shaft support hole 72d with the delivery member 71 so that the protrusion piece 70c and the notch 72e face each other, and then the shaft support protrusion 70b. And it can be attached by rotating each other around the shaft support hole 72d. Moreover, when removing this movable stopper 70 from the delivery member 71, the operation | movement of the reverse order of an attachment procedure mentioned above should just be performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7A, in the vicinity of the fan-shaped central portion of the movable stopper 70, the shaft support hole 72d is provided by the operation of the lever member 93 (FIG. 3) provided in the bucket 90 described above. A movable stopper protrusion 70d (protrusion) that can be rotated in the vertical direction (the Y direction in FIG. 7B) is integrally provided around the shaft support protrusion 70b that is fitted in and locked to. Further, the movable stopper 70 and the delivery member 71 are provided with projection pieces 70e and 72f (rotation stop members), respectively, and the projection piece 70e (FIG. 7A) and the projection piece 72f (FIG. 7B). , The position of the lowermost side of the movable stopper 70 with respect to the delivery member 71 (the −Y side in FIG. 7B) is defined. Further, the movable stopper 70 and the delivery member 71 are provided with a protruding piece 70f and a notch 72g, respectively, and the protruding piece 70f (FIG. 7 (a)) and the notch 72g (FIG. 7 (b)) come into contact with each other. The position of the uppermost side of the movable stopper 70 with respect to the delivery member 71 (the + Y side in FIG. 7B) is defined.

  As described above, the conveyor base 45, the drive pulley 54, the driven pulley 55, the belt gear 53, and the delivery member 71 in the conveyor unit 41 illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 are each made of synthetic resin such as vinyl chloride, for example. It is formed by integral molding. Further, the movable stopper 70 is integrally molded using a transparent synthetic resin such as acrylic.

=== Configuration of bucket ===
The structure of the lever mechanism 95 (drive mechanism) of the bucket 90 in the vending machine of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the lever mechanism 95 described above mainly includes a fixed base 951 fixed to the lower side (−Y side) of the bucket 90 (FIG. 3), and the fixed base 951. The movable member 953 movable in the left-right direction (X direction) and provided with the above-described lever member 93 so as to be rotatable, and a spring connecting the fixed base 951 and the movable member 953 via two springs 955a and 955b. A holding member 955. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the lever mechanism 95 as viewed from the bottom, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the lever mechanism 95 as viewed from the top. In the present embodiment, the fixed base 951, the movable member 953, and the spring holding member 955 correspond to a link member. Furthermore, the link member of the present embodiment is mainly made of a resin molded product.

  In the bucket 90, the fixed base 951 is housed and fixed on the lower side (−Y side) of the bucket belt 92 (FIG. 3, placement surface), and moves the movable member 953 and the spring holding member 955 in the left-right direction (X Direction). The fixing base 951 includes a groove portion 951a extending in the left-right direction so that the spring holding member 955 is loosely fitted on the lower side thereof. Further, on the upper side (+ Y side) of the fixed base 951, a contact piece 951b (see FIG. 5) for contacting the lever member projection piece 93b described later to rotate the lever member 93 around the lever member shaft portion 93a. 9) is integrally provided in the vertical direction (Y direction). Further, a spring locking portion 951c is provided at the lower left end portion of the fixed base 951 in FIG. 8 so that the spring 955a is stretched between the spring locking portion 951c and the spring holding member 955. It has become.

  The spring holding member 955 is a substantially rectangular plate-like member that is loosely fitted in the groove portion 951a of the fixed base 951 and is slidable in the left-right direction (X direction). Here, a movable member 953 is further loosely fitted on the other side surface of the spring holding member 955 whose one side surface is loosely fitted in the groove portion 951a of the fixed base 951 so that it can slide in the left-right direction. The protrusions 955c and 955d and the pair of locking protrusions 955e and 955f are integrally provided. The guide projection 955c also serves as a locking portion for locking the other end of the spring 955a whose one end is locked to the spring locking portion 951c. As a result, the spring holding member 955 is biased to the left side (+ X side) in FIG. 8 of the fixed base 951. On the other hand, one end of a wire 957 is fitted to the right end side (−X side) in FIG. 8 of the spring holding member 955. The other end of the wire 957 has a pulley 98 (FIG. 3) in the vicinity of the circumferential portion of the gear 97 (FIG. 3) that rotates to operate the gear mechanism 99 (FIGS. 3 and 4) included in the bucket 90. ). When the gear 97 is rotated in an appropriate direction, the wire 957 is pulled so as to be wound around the gear 97, so that the spring holding member 955 is opposed to the elastic bias of the spring 955a described above in FIG. It slides to the right (-X side). The gear 97 is rotated by a suitable electric motor (drive source, not shown).

  The movable member 953 is a plate-like member that is loosely fitted to one side surface of the spring holding member 955 and is slidable in the left-right direction (X direction) with respect to the spring holding member 955. On the upper side (+ Y side) of the movable member 953, a lever member shaft portion 93a that pivotally supports the lever member 93 is provided. Further, the movable member 953 is provided with long holes 953c and 953d for loosely fitting into the guide protrusions 955c and 955d provided on one side surface of the spring holding member 955 described above, and the locking protrusions 955e and 955e, Fitting holes 953e and 953f for 955f are provided. Further, a spring locking portion 953g is provided at the central portion of the movable member 953, and between the guide protrusion 955d of the spring holding member 955 that also functions as a spring locking portion and the spring locking portion 953g. A spring 955b is stretched over the top. Accordingly, the movable member 953 is biased to the right side (−X side) in FIG. 8 with respect to the spring holding member 955.

  The lever member 93 has a state along the left-right direction (dotted line in FIG. 8) and a state along the substantially front-rear direction (Z direction in FIG. 8) (solid line in FIG. 8) around the lever member shaft portion 93a. It is designed to rotate between the two. As described above, the lever member 93 is a substantially square plate-like member having a lever member shaft portion 93a, and further includes the above-described lever member protrusion 93b. The lever member 93 is urged by a spring 93c so as to be always in a state along the left-right direction (dotted line in FIG. 8). For example, when the movable member 953 slides together with the spring holding member 955 from the fixed base 951 to the right side (−X side) in FIG. 8, the lever member protrusion 93b contacts the above-described contact piece 951b of the fixed base 951 (FIG. 9). Therefore, the movement of the lever member 93 is restricted, so that the lever member 93 rotates from the state along the left-right direction (dotted line in FIG. 8) to the state along the substantially front-rear direction (solid line in FIG. 8).

=== Product Operation Unit and Bucket Operation ===
The operation of the conveyor unit 41 and the bucket 90 described above in the series of operations of the vending machine when the customer purchases the product 40 from the vending machine of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, when a customer inserts money into the money receiving device 16 (FIG. 1), the operation panel 14 (FIG. 1) is in an operation acceptance state. When the customer appropriately operates the operation panel 14 and inputs the product number of the product 40 desired to purchase, the bucket 90 (FIGS. 1 and 3) is appropriately operated by a horizontal movement mechanism (not shown) and a vertical movement mechanism (not shown). ) Moves toward the product column 39 (FIG. 1) corresponding to the entered product number.

  As shown in the side view of FIG. 10, the bucket 90 moves to the position of the conveyor unit 41 in the target product column 39 so that the opening of the conveyor unit 41 and the product acquisition port of the bucket 90 face each other. To position. At this time, the movable stopper 70 of the conveyor unit 41 is positioned on the upper side (+ Y side), and abuts against the product 40 to restrict the position of the product 40. The movable stopper 70 is elastically biased upward by being pulled by a spring 73.

  As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 11, at this time, the lever member 93 in the lever mechanism 95 is urged by the spring 93c and is in a state along the left-right direction (X direction). Further, the movable member 953 and the spring holding member 955 in the lever mechanism 95 are urged by a spring 955a and appropriately abut on the left end side (+ X side) of the fixed base 951 in FIG. That is, the lever member 93 is separated from the movable stopper protrusion 70d. 11 and FIGS. 13 and 14 described later are perspective views showing the arrangement of the lever mechanism 95 and the movable stopper 70 as viewed from the bottom of the lever mechanism 95. FIG.

  Next, when a gear 97 (FIG. 3) of the bucket 90 is rotated in an appropriate direction by rotation of an appropriate electric motor (not shown) provided on the bucket 90 side, an appropriate mechanism (not shown) is appropriately set. In operation, the gear mechanism 99 (FIGS. 3 and 4) of the bucket 90 and the belt gear 53 of the conveyor unit 41 are engaged. At the same time, as shown in the side view of FIG. 12, when the lever member 93 moves the movable stopper projection 70d of the movable stopper 70 from the back side to the front side in FIG. The movable stopper 70 moves downward (−Y side) against the elastic bias by the spring 93c. That is, the movable stopper 70 is retracted from the opening of the conveyor unit 41.

  As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 13, by the rotation of the gear 97 (FIG. 3), the spring holding member 955 in the lever mechanism 95 is pulled to the right (−X side) in FIG. 13 through the wire 957, and thus the spring 955a. The spring holding member 955 slides to the right in FIG. At this time, the movable member 953 also moves to the right side in the drawing together with the spring holding member 955. That is, as shown in the figure, both the movable member 953 and the spring holding member 955 are displaced by the distance “L1” with respect to the fixed base 951. Here, it is assumed that the movable member 953 is displaced from the position “A0” to the position “A1” on the fixed base 951, and the spring holding member 955 is displaced from the position “B0” to the position “B1” on the fixed base 951.

  On the other hand, when the movable member 953 is displaced by the distance “L1”, the lever member shaft portion 93a provided on the upper side (+ Y side) of the movable member 953 is also displaced by the distance “L1”. At this time, the lever member protrusion piece 93b of the lever member 93 comes into contact with the contact piece 951b of the fixed base 951 and its movement is restricted, so that the lever member 93 is in a state along the left-right direction (X direction) (FIG. 11) is rotated by an angle “θ1” in a state substantially along the front-rear direction (Z direction). As a result, the lever member 93 abuts on the movable stopper projection 70d, and rotates the movable stopper 70 downward (−Y side) around the shaft projection 70b.

  As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 14, by further rotation of the gear 97 (FIG. 3), the spring holding member 955 in the lever mechanism 95 is pulled further to the right side (−X side) in FIG. As a result, the spring holding member 955 slides further to the right in the figure against the elastic bias of the spring 955a. If the movable member 953 is displaced by a distance “L2” from the position “A1” to the position “A2” on the fixed base 951, the spring holding member 955 is also positioned on the fixed base 951 as in the case of FIG. The distance “L2” should be displaced from “B1” to the position “B2”. However, as shown in FIG. 14, after the movable stopper 70 reaches the lowermost side (−Y side) with respect to the delivery member 71 (FIG. 12), the movable member 953 is positioned at the position “A2” shown in FIG. Since the movable member 953 stopped at the position “A2” cannot be displaced further to the right side, only the spring holding member 953 resists the elastic biasing of the left side (+ X side) in FIG. For example, the distance “L3” is displaced to the position “B3”. Note that the operation of the movable stopper 70 reaching the lowermost side and stopping with respect to the delivery member 71 (FIG. 2) is performed by the protrusion piece 70e (FIG. 7A) of the movable stopper 70 as described above. This is realized by coming into contact with the protruding piece 72f of the delivery member 71.

  On the other hand, when the movable member 953 is displaced by the distance “L2”, the lever member shaft portion 93a provided on the upper side (+ Y side) of the movable member 953 is also displaced by the distance “L2”. Here, the lever member 93 is in a state substantially along the front-rear direction (Z direction). As a result, the lever member 93 abuts on the movable stopper projecting piece 70d and elastically biases the movable stopper 70 to the lowermost side (−Y side). The elastic biasing force in this case is substantially equal to the elastic force generated when the spring 955b is pulled by the distance “L3-L2”.

  As shown in the side view of FIG. 15, the belt gear 53 rotates clockwise by an appropriate operation of the gear mechanism 99 (FIG. 3 and FIG. 4) of the bucket 90, and the conveying surface of the belt 43 moves forward (+ Z When the conveying surface of the bucket belt 92 is moved forward by an appropriate operation of the bucket belt driving mechanism (not shown) of the bucket 90, the product 40 is placed on the conveying surface of the belt 43. From the placed state ("H"), the state of reaching the product delivery surface 72b ("I") and the state of reaching the product delivery assisting surface 70a ("J"), the conveying surface of the bucket belt 92 ("K"). Thereby, the product 40 is carried into the accommodating portion 91 of the bucket 90. In the present embodiment, the conveying surface of the bucket belt 92 is positioned at the same height as the commodity delivery assisting surface 70a.

  Next, when it is detected by an optical sensor (not shown) provided in the bucket 90 that the commodity 40 has been carried into the accommodating portion 91, the bucket 90 moves toward the commodity dispensing portion 17 (FIG. 1). To start. At this time, the movable stopper 70 evacuated to the lower side of the conveyor unit 41 returns to the original position again by the bias of the spring 73, and the opening of the conveyor unit 41 is closed again. Next, when the bucket 90 arrives at the product delivery unit 17, the product 40 accommodated in the accommodation unit 91 is carried out to the product delivery unit 17.

  According to the vending machine of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11, 13, and 14, the movable stopper 70 of the conveyor unit 41 is in a direction (Y direction) that intersects the transport direction (Z direction). The lever member 93 of the bucket 90 is also moved in the direction intersecting the transport direction in order to rotate the head product 40 and restrict the position of the leading product 40. That is, the movable stopper 70 rotates so that no force in the transport direction acts between the movable stopper 70 and the lever member 93. Thereby, for example, the bucket 90 does not tilt due to the force in the transport direction, and therefore, a member or the like that strengthens the holding of the bucket 90 to prevent the tilt is not necessary. The product 40 is smoothly delivered from the conveyor unit 41 to the bucket 90 that is stable without being inclined, and the space in the vending machine due to the members or the like is also prevented. Therefore, the vending machine according to the present embodiment reliably conveys the product 40 and has a large storage amount of the product 40.

  Further, according to the vending machine of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, even after the movable stopper 70 stops on the lowermost side (−Y side), the extension distance “L3-L2” by the spring 955b. Therefore, the movable stopper 70 is kept in a stable stopped state. Thereby, even if the projection piece 70e of the movable stopper 70 or the dimension of the projection piece 72f of the delivery member 71 varies, the movable stopper 70 can be reliably stopped at the lowest position. Therefore, when the product 40 is delivered from the conveyor unit 41 to the bucket 90, the movable stopper 70 is securely retracted, so that the delivery is smooth. Therefore, the vending machine of the present embodiment reliably conveys the product 40.

  Furthermore, according to the vending machine of the present embodiment, the lever mechanism 95 is arranged at the lower part of the bucket belt 92 (FIG. 15) of the bucket 90, so that the center of gravity of the bucket 90 can also be located at the lower part. Thereby, the bucket 90 becomes stable and the product 40 is reliably conveyed.

  The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance structure of the see-through type vending machine of this Embodiment. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the product case of this Embodiment from front diagonally upward. It is the perspective view which looked at the bucket of this embodiment from the goods acquisition mouth side. It is a side view of the bucket and conveyor unit of this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the control mechanism of this Embodiment. It is a side view of the conveyor unit of this Embodiment. (A) is a perspective view of the movable stopper of this Embodiment, (b) is a perspective view of the delivery member of this Embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at the lever mechanism of this Embodiment from the bottom. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the lever mechanism of this Embodiment from the upper part. It is a side view of the conveyor unit and bucket which have a movable stopper before goods delivery. It is a perspective view which shows arrangement | positioning of the said lever mechanism and the movable stopper before contact | abutting seen from the bottom part of the lever mechanism. It is a side view of the conveyor unit and bucket which have a movable stopper in the lower side before goods delivery. It is a perspective view which shows arrangement | positioning of the said lever mechanism and movable stopper at the time of contact | abutting seen from the bottom part of the lever mechanism. It is another perspective view which shows arrangement | positioning of the said lever mechanism and movable stopper at the time of contact | abutting seen from the bottom part of the lever mechanism. It is a side view of a conveyor unit and a bucket at the time of product delivery.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Housing | casing 13 Front panel 14 Operation panel 15 Display panel 16 Money receiving device 17 Goods dispensing part 18 Change dispensing device 19 Locking device 30 Product case 31 Bottom plate 32 Back plate 33 Side plate 34, 35 Slit 39 Product column 40 Product 41 Conveyor unit 42, 66 Key part 43 Belt 44 Sprocket hole 45 Conveyor base 45a Top plate 45b Side plate 451 Shaft support 46a, 16b Hole 50 Storage shelf 53 Belt gear 54 Drive pulley 55 Driven pulley 60 Back plate 65 Partition plate 67 Projection Portion 70 Movable stopper 70a Product delivery assisting surface 70b Shaft support projection 70c, 70e, 70f, 72f Projection piece 70d Projection piece 71 Delivery member 71a, 71b Projection portion 72 Front surface portion 72a Support surface 72b Product delivery surface 72c Back surface portion 72d Shaft support Hole 72e, 72g Notch 73 Spring 73a, 73b Spring locking portion 90 Bucket 92 Bucket belt 93 Lever member 93a Lever member shaft 93b Lever member protrusion 95 Lever mechanism 97 Gear 98 Pulley 99 Gear mechanism 410 Main control unit 411 CPU 412 ROM
413 RAM 414 Peripheral circuit 420 Subordinate control unit group 422 Money receipt control unit 423 Bucket control unit 951 Fixed base 951a Groove 951b Abutment piece 951c, 953g Spring locking portion 953 Movable member 953c, 953d Long hole 953e, 953f Fitting hole 955 Spring holding member 955a, 955b Spring 955c, 955d Guide protrusion 955e, 955f Locking protrusion 957 Wire

Claims (5)

A product transport unit that transports a product row to the top product side, and a product acquisition port that faces the top product side of the product transport unit, and moves in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the product row and the product row In a vending machine equipped with a bucket for acquiring the top product of
The product transport unit is pivotally supported on the top product side and elastically biased upward in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and rotates the direction intersecting the transport direction to restrict the position of the top product. A position regulating member,
The vending machine, wherein the bucket includes a drive mechanism that rotates the position restricting member downward in a direction intersecting the transport direction in accordance with a driving force of a drive source.   The position restricting member protrudes upward from the conveyance surface of the commodity row by the elastic bias when position restricting the leading commodity, and resists the elastic bias when delivering the leading commodity to the bucket. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine is retracted to a lower side than a conveying surface of the commodity row. The commodity transport unit has a rotation stop member for the position restricting member to stop at a predetermined position below the transport surface of the commodity row against the elastic bias,
The drive mechanism is configured such that after the position restricting member stops at a predetermined position below the conveying surface of the commodity row against the elastic bias, the position restricting member is moved downward in a direction intersecting the conveying direction. The vending machine according to claim 2, further comprising a link member that elastically urges toward the side.   The vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the position restricting member has a protruding piece that contacts the link member and rotates against the elastic bias. The bucket has a placement surface for placing the first product of the product row between the product acquisition port and a product payout port on the opposite side of the product acquisition port,
The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the driving mechanism is disposed at a lower portion of the mounting surface.

Images