JP2006127417A - Product discharging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine that can manage the number of products, that is the total number of product sales. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic vending machine, in which a product discharging device, having a drum with a plurality of openings for product discharging around an axis to discharge the product one by one by rotating the drum around the axis with operating power of a handle when coins are inputted, comprises a cam with a plurality of concave portions formed on the top outer surface of the drum corresponding to the respective openings for product discharging, a mounting plate set to cover a part of the top surface of the drum, a follower mounted on the mounting plate ascending and descending by following the top outer surface of the rotating drum, a detecting means for detecting the ascending and descending movement of the follower and a controlling device for calculating the total number of discharging products based on the detecting result of the detecting means and displaying the total number of discharging products on a display unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a commodity discharge device.

Conventionally, various merchandise management systems have been provided for vending machines that discharge merchandise using household power supplies or business power supplies. (For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2)
JP 56-47891 A Japanese Patent No. 2521554

On the other hand, in vending machines that do not use household power supplies or business power supplies, such as vending machines for capsule products, data such as the total number of sales is acquired internally by a mechanical or battery-operated liquid crystal display counter. The actual situation is that the mounting and patrol staff manually acquired the data. However, since the rotation of the handle and the gear connected to the handle is detected, there is a possibility that the product purchaser malfunctions when the handle is turned in small increments.
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vending machine capable of reliably managing the total number of products discharged, that is, the total sales number.

  The product discharge device according to claim 1 includes a drum having a plurality of product discharge openings around a shaft, and a coin is inserted to rotate the drum about the shaft by operating power of a handle. In the product discharge device that discharges the products one by one, a cam composed of a plurality of recesses formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the drum so as to correspond to each of the product discharge openings, and a part of the upper surface of the drum A mounting plate provided; a follower that is provided on the mounting plate and moves up and down along the outer periphery of the upper surface when the drum rotates; a detection unit that detects vertical movement of the follower; and the detection unit And a control device that obtains the total number of discharged products based on the detection result of and displays the total number of discharged items on a display device.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the commodity discharge device according to the first aspect, wherein the mounting plate is a guide plate for guiding the commodity on the drum side.

  According to the commodity discharge device of the first aspect, since the discharge of the commodity is not detected unless the drum rotates by one commodity discharge opening, the commodity discharge can be reliably detected.

  According to the product discharge device of the second aspect, since the mounting plate guides the product to the drum side, the product does not stay on the mounting plate.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vending machine in which two layers of vending machine bodies are stacked. Reference numerals 1 and 1 denote a vending machine main body. A container 2 is provided in an opening 1a of each vending machine main body 1, and a large number of capsule commodities 3 are accommodated in the container 2. In the vending machine main body 1, when a required coin is inserted into the coin insertion slot 4 and the handle 5 is rotated once in the clockwise direction, one capsule product 3 is discharged from the product discharge port 6.

  In addition, when the capsule product 3 is replenished to the vending machine body 1 or when the already stored capsule product 3 is replaced with another type of capsule product 3, the cylinder 7 at the top of the vending machine body 1 is used. The key 90 (FIG. 2) is inserted into the keyhole and the key 90 is rotated in a predetermined direction. Then, the lock 2 is released and the container 2 can be rotated. When the container 2 is rotated about the horizontal axis (horizontal axis) 2a shown in FIG. The outlet 8 will be exposed. Then, the capsule product 3 is replenished from the product entry / exit 8 of the container 2 or the capsule product 3 is exchanged.

  In the vending machine main body 1, by pushing the return lever 9a, coins and the like that are erroneously inserted are returned to the return port 9b.

  Next, the details of the structure of the vending machine body 1 will be described. The vending machine body 1 includes a container 2, a coin sorting unit 10 and a product discharge unit 20 as shown in FIG. The part 20 constitutes the bottom of the container 2.

  Nearly the front half of the front wall 2b and the side wall 2c of the container 2 is constituted by a light transmissive member. For example, transparent plastic is used for this part. The front wall 2b is configured to be curved so as to bulge forward. Further, the product entry / exit 8 of the container 2 is formed from the upper end portion of the container 2 to the rear portion thereof. In this embodiment, although not particularly limited, the product inlet / outlet 8 is configured in a “Z” shape (stepped shape) from the top to the rear as viewed in FIG. 2. When the capsule product 3 is replenished or exchanged, the container 2 is rotated about the shaft 2a in the direction shown in FIG. If the container 2 is rotated more than shown in FIG. 3, the coin sorting unit 10 can be repaired by using the commodity entrance / exit 8.

  The coin sorting unit 10 determines whether or not a coin is true and false, and detects whether or not a required number of coins has been inserted, and allows the handle 5 to rotate only when the required number of coins has been inserted. It is configured. In the coin sorting unit 10, when the handle 5 is rotated, the gear 11 on the back side follows and rotates.

  The product discharge unit 20 discharges the capsule product 3 as the handle 5 rotates. As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, the product discharge unit 20 includes a drum D including a drum body 22 and an opening restriction plate 23, and a bottom plate 27 on which the drum body 22 is placed. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, a rack gear 22 a is attached below the outer peripheral portion of the drum body 22. On the other hand, the gear 11 connected to the handle 5 is engaged with a gear 21 attached to the shaft 21a as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the gear 21 meshes with a rack gear 22 a partially exposed from an opening formed in the bottom plate 27. As a result, when the handle 5 is rotated, the drum main body 22 rotates about the shaft 22b via the gears 11, 21, and the rack gear 22a. The meshing between the gear 11 and the rack gear 22a is released by rotation about the shaft 2a of the container 2 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

  A male screw is provided at the lower end of the shaft 22b of the drum main body 22. The male screw passes through the bottom plate 27 and protrudes to the lower side of the bottom plate 27, and a nut is screwed into the protruding portion. Thereby, the drum body 22 is detachably attached to the bottom plate 27. That is, the drum main body 22 can be removed from the floor plate 27 by removing the nut.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the drum body 22 is provided with a plurality of bell-shaped product discharge openings 22 c. The drum body 22 rotates by the opening pitch every time the handle 5 rotates once. On the drum body 22, there is provided an opening restricting plate 23 in which openings 23a having the same shape as the bell-shaped product discharge openings 22c of the drum body 22 are provided at the same pitch.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the opening restricting plate 23 is pressed against the drum body 22 by a spring 25 interposed between a nut 24 screwed into the upper end of the shaft 22b. As shown in FIG. 4, one boss (positioning protrusion) 23b is provided on the lower surface of the opening restricting plate 23 between the adjacent openings 23a and 23a. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the drum body 22 is provided with two fitting holes (positioning holes) 22d that are selectively fitted with the bosses 23b between adjacent product discharge openings 22c, 22c. Yes. The opening restricting plate 23 can be rotated with respect to the drum body 22 by pulling out the boss 23b from the fitting hole 22d while being pulled away from the drum body 22 against the urging force of the spring 25. It has become. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a semi-cylindrical stopper 22e is provided at the edge of the fitting hole 22d. Therefore, when the opening restricting plate 23 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, the boss 23b comes into contact with the stopper 22e, and if the hand is released as it is, the boss 23b is reliably brought into the fitting hole 22d by the urging force of the spring 25. You will get stuck.

In this case, when the boss 23b fits into one fitting hole 22d between the adjacent product discharge openings 22c, 22c, as shown in FIG. 7, the product discharge opening 22c of the drum body 22 and the opening of the opening restriction plate 23 Since 23a matches, the large capsule product 3 can be discharged. On the other hand, when the boss 23b fits into the other fitting hole 22d between the adjacent product discharge openings 22c, 22c, as shown in FIG. Are not completely matched. As a result, a part of the product discharge opening 22c is blocked by the opening restricting plate 23, so that only the small capsule product 3 can be discharged.
The effective opening area of the product discharge opening 22c can be easily changed according to the size of the capsule product 3 to be sold as described above. Here, the effective opening area of the product discharge opening 22c is changed in two steps, but the effective opening area of the product discharge opening 22c may be changed in three or more steps.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, a cam 90 including a plurality of recesses 90a is provided on the outer periphery of the opening restricting plate 23 of the drum body 22 so as to correspond to each of the product discharge openings 22c. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 14, a mounting plate 91 is attached to the inside of the container 2 by screws (not shown) so as to cover a part of the upper surface of the drum D. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a follower 93 is attached to the attachment plate 91. The follower 93 is attached to the attachment plate 91 so as to be movable up and down. The lower end of the follower 93 is in contact with the upper side of the outer peripheral portion of the opening restricting plate 23 of the drum body 22. In order to ensure this contact, the follower 93 is urged downward by a spring 94. A micro switch 95 is attached to the attachment plate 91. The micro switch 95 detects the downward movement of the follower 93. As a result, the follower 93 slides on the upper side of the outer periphery of the opening restricting plate 23 as the drum body 22 rotates, and moves downward only when reaching the recess 90a. At that time, the microswitch 95 detects the discharge. Output a signal. In FIG. 15, reference numeral 96 denotes a cover that covers the housing portion of the follower 93 from above, and 97 denotes a cover that covers the housing portion of the button battery 98. These covers are attached to the mounting plate 91 with screws. Inclined portions 91a to 91c having a downward slope toward the drum D side are provided on the upper surface of the mounting plate 91, and the mounting plate 91 can be used as a guide plate for guiding the product 3 on the mounting plate 91 to the drum D side. Function.
Further, a display device 100 is provided on the surface side of the mounting plate 91 as shown in FIG. The display device 100 includes a liquid crystal display unit. The total number of products discharged is displayed on the liquid crystal display. The display on the liquid crystal display unit is not visible from the outside. In other words, a resin film is pasted on the surface of the liquid crystal display portion, which cannot be visually recognized from the outside, and the number of discharges can be read by placing a polarizing plate on the portion from the outside. With this configuration, the number of discharged sheets can be read without opening the vending machine body 1. As a result, product management becomes extremely easy. The power source of the display device 100 is the button battery. In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a reset switch. The reset button 101 functions to return the number of discharged products to zero. A predetermined gap is formed between the mounting plate 91 and the back surface of the container 2 so that the reset switch 101 can be operated in the container 2.
FIG. 17 shows a control block of the present embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 102 denotes a control device. The control device 102 performs calculations according to a program stored in a built-in storage unit and controls each unit in an integrated manner.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bottom plate 27 is formed with a product drop opening 27a, and when the capsule product 3 captured in the product discharge opening 22c comes to the position of the product drop opening 27a of the bottom plate 27, The capsule product 3 is discharged.

  Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, on the opening regulating plate 23, a rod-shaped spring is used so that the capsule products 3 filled in the container 2 can be surely dropped into the product discharge opening 22a one by one. 26a is attached. Since this bar-shaped spring 26a is located above the product dropout 27a, the capsule products 3 can be discharged from the product dropout 27a one by one. Further, a bar-like spring 26 b for stirring the capsule product 3 is attached to the center of the opening regulating plate 23.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the product discharge port 6 is provided with a door 61 that can be pushed into the product discharge path 60.

  The vending machine main body 1 has the same structure on both the upper and lower sides. Therefore, either vending machine main body 1 may be up or down, but a top plate 70 is attached on the upper vending machine main body 1 (see FIGS. 1 to 3). On the other hand, a coin storage unit 71 is provided below the lower vending machine body 1 (see FIGS. 1 and 10). And the coin thrown into the upper vending machine main body 1 is dropped into the coin storage part 71 through the back side of the container 2 by the coin guide member 72 provided in the lower vending machine main body 1. The coins stored in the coin storage unit 71 can be recovered by opening a door (not shown). In this way, when a plurality of vending machine main bodies 1 are provided one above the other, if the base portion of the lowermost vending machine main body 1 is the coin storage part 71, coins can be easily collected. Here, coins are dropped through the back side of the container 2, but coins may be dropped through the side of the container 2.

  A connecting portion 80 is provided below the coin storage portion 71. As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 11, two insertion holes 80a are juxtaposed in the connecting portion 80. Adjacent vending machines are connected to each other using the two insertion holes 80a. In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, four connection plugs 83 are implanted on the base plate 82 as the connection tool 81. A constricted portion is provided near the head of the connecting plug 83, and a rubber ring 84 is fitted to the constricted portion. Of the four connecting plugs 83, two are inserted into the two insertion holes 80a of one vending machine, and the other two connecting plugs 83 are two insertion holes 80a of other adjacent vending machines. Inserted into. In the inserted state, the rubber ring 84 is engaged with the edge of the insertion hole 80a. With such a structure, vending machines are arranged side by side, the heads of the connecting plugs 83 are aligned with the four insertion holes 80a, and the lower side of the base plate 82 is hit with a hammer or the like, for example. Can be easily connected. On the other hand, in order to release the connection between the adjacent vending machines, the connection can be easily released by inserting a screwdriver between the lower plate of the coin storage unit 71 and the base plate 82.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

It is a perspective view of the state which piled up the goods discharge device in two steps. It is a side view which cuts and shows a goods discharge apparatus partially. It is a side view which notches and shows a goods discharge apparatus of the state which rotated the container. It is a conceptual sectional view of a product discharge part. It is a perspective view of a drum. It is a top view of a drum main body. It is a figure which shows the relationship with an opening control board, a drum main body, and a baseplate. It is a figure which shows the relationship with an opening control board, a drum main body, and a baseplate. It is a figure for demonstrating a goods discharge port and a goods discharge path. It is a figure for demonstrating the coin storage part under a vending machine main body. It is a figure for demonstrating the connection structure of vending machines. It is a perspective view of a connection plug. It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between a mounting plate and a drum. It is a top view which shows the relationship between a mounting plate and a drum. It is a perspective view which shows a mounting plate and the components attached to the mounting plate. It is a front view of a mounting plate. It is a control block diagram of a commodity discharge device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Commodity discharge apparatus 2 Container D Drum 90 Cam 90a Recess 91 Mounting plate 93 Follower 95 Micro switch 100 Display apparatus 102 Control apparatus

Claims (2)

  In a product discharge device including a drum having a plurality of product discharge openings around a shaft, discharging coins one by one by inserting coins and rotating the drum around the shaft by operating power of a handle A cam comprising a plurality of recesses formed on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the drum so as to correspond to each of the product discharge openings, a mounting plate provided so as to cover a part of the upper surface of the drum, and the mounting plate A follower that moves up and down along the outer periphery of the upper surface when the drum rotates, a detection means that detects the vertical movement of the follower, and a total discharge amount of goods based on a detection result by the detection means. A product discharge device comprising: a control device that obtains the number and displays the total discharge number on a display device.   The product discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting plate is a guide plate for guiding a product placed on the mounting plate to the drum side.

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