JP2007094868A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine which can promptly open and close an opening and closing member, without having to move an article holding mechanism in the vertical direction. <P>SOLUTION: A column gate 22 can be promptly opened and closed without moving the article-holding mechanism in the vertical direction, since an abutting member 23 is made to move backward by abutting against the article holding mechanism, when the article-holding mechanism moves backward of the article column 20, and the column gate 22 is made to operate in the open direction by an interlock mechanism 24, when the abutting member 23 moves backward. Consequently, since it is not necessary to move the article-holding mechanism vertically in order to open and close the column gate 22, the gaps of respective article columns 20 in the vertical direction can be made small, and the number of array of the article column 20 in the vertical direction can be increased. Article-removing operation can be performed in a shorter time for unnecessary movements of the article-holding mechanism in the vertical direction, and user's waiting time can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to products having various shapes and sizes, such as beverages enclosed in cans, bottles, plastic bottles or paper packs, dairy products stored in predetermined containers such as cups, confections in boxes or bags, etc. It is related with the vending machine which can sell.

Conventionally, this type of vending machine includes a vending machine body having a product outlet on the front surface, a product storage provided in the vending machine body, and a width direction and a vertical direction in the product storage room. A plurality of product columns arranged to store products in the front-rear direction, an opening / closing member for preventing product falling that opens and closes the front of the product column, and a product transport mechanism that takes the product from the product column and transports it to the product outlet The product gripping mechanism provided in the product transport mechanism is moved from the front to the rear of the product column, and the product at the foremost part of the product column with the opening and closing member opened is gripped by the product gripping mechanism. A product in which a product is taken out from the product column by moving the gripped product gripping mechanism toward the front of the product column is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-76538 A

  By the way, in the vending machine, the opening / closing member is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and after moving the product gripping mechanism from the front to the rear of the product column, the product gripping mechanism is moved downward, Although the opening / closing member is moved downward by contact, the product holding mechanism needs to be moved in the up / down direction to open / close the opening / closing member. A large space in the vertical direction of the product column must be secured. For this reason, the number of vertical arrangements of the product columns is reduced, and there is a problem that it is not possible to sufficiently cope with an increase in the number of product storage. In addition, there is a problem in that the time required for the product carry-out operation becomes longer because the operation for moving the product gripping mechanism in the vertical direction is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vending machine capable of quickly opening and closing an opening / closing member without moving a product gripping mechanism in the vertical direction. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a product column for storing products arranged in the front-rear direction, an opening / closing member for preventing product falling that opens and closes the front of the product column, taking out the product from the product column, and A product transport mechanism that transports the product to the product transport position, moves the product gripping mechanism of the product transport mechanism from the front to the rear of the product column, and grips the product at the forefront of the product column with the open / close member open In the vending machine that takes out the product from the product column by moving the product gripping mechanism that grips the product and grips the product toward the front of the product column, the product column is provided to be movable in the front-rear direction. A contact member that moves backward by contact with the product gripping mechanism that moves toward the rear of the product column, and opens and closes in conjunction with the rearward movement of the contact member. And a linkage mechanism for operating the timber in the opening direction.

  As a result, when the product gripping mechanism moves toward the rear of the product column, the contact member moves rearward due to contact with the product gripping mechanism, and when the contact member moves rearward by the product gripping mechanism, Since the opening and closing member operates in the opening direction, the opening and closing member opens and closes without moving the product gripping mechanism in the up and down direction.

  According to the present invention, since the opening and closing member can be quickly opened and closed without moving the product gripping mechanism in the vertical direction, there is no need to move the product gripping mechanism up and down. It is possible to reduce the size of the product column, increase the number of product columns arranged in the vertical direction, perform the product carry-out operation in a short time, and reduce the waiting time of the user.

  1 to 13 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine, FIG. 2 is a front sectional view thereof, FIG. 3 is a side sectional view thereof, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the main part of the product column, FIG. 7 is a side side sectional view of the main part showing the operation, and FIG. 8 is an operation of the product gripping mechanism. FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are front sectional views showing the product carrying-out operation, FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are side sectional views thereof, and FIG.

  The vending machine includes a vending machine body 10, a plurality of product columns 20 provided in the vending machine body 10, and a product transport mechanism 30 that transports products A of the product column 20.

  The vending machine main body 10 is configured to open and close the front door except for one end in the width direction by the outer door 11, and the outer door 11 is provided with a transparent glass window 11 a. One end in the width direction of the front surface of the vending machine main body 10 is opened and closed by the auxiliary door 12. On the front surface of the auxiliary door 12, a bill insertion slot 12 a, a coin insertion slot 12 b, an amount display unit 12 c, and a product selection operation are provided. A portion 12d, a coin return port 12e, and a product outlet 12f are provided. A portion of the vending machine main body 10 excluding one end in the width direction is provided with a product storage 13 surrounded by a heat insulating wall, and on one side thereof, a product outlet 13a for discharging the product A to the product outlet 12f. Is provided. The merchandise carry-out port 13a is opened and closed by a flap 14 that receives merchandise from the merchandise transport mechanism 30, and a merchandise take-out port 12f is disposed on the side of the merchandise carry-out port 13a. The flap 14 is rotatably supported at its lower end and is rotated by a drive mechanism including a motor and gears (not shown). The interior of the product storage 13 is partitioned in the vertical direction by a heat insulating partition plate 16, and a heating chamber 13 b heated by a heater (not shown) is formed above the partition position of the partition plate 16. A cooling chamber 13c to be cooled by a cooler (not shown) is formed below. In this case, a movable partition plate 17 is provided on the front end side of the partition plate 16, and the movable partition plate 17 is provided so as to be movable upward (on the heating chamber 13 b side) together with the product transport mechanism 30. In addition, a plurality of upper and lower shelves 18 are provided in the product storage 13, and a product column 20 is placed on each shelf 18 so as to be able to be pulled out in the front-rear direction.

  Each of the product columns 20 has a known configuration in which the products A arranged in the front-rear direction are moved forward, and a plurality of the product columns 20 are arranged in the width direction and the vertical direction in the product storage 13. Each of the product columns 20 is provided with a column main body 21 extending in the front-rear direction, a column gate 22 as a product fall-preventing opening / closing member that opens and closes the front of the product column 20, and a product column 20 that is movable in the front-rear direction. A contact member 23; an interlock mechanism 24 that operates the column gate 22 in the opening direction in conjunction with the backward movement of the contact member 23; and a lock mechanism 25 that can lock the column gate 22 in the closed position. The product A stored in the column main body 21 is moved forward by the conveyor 26. In addition, as a mechanism for moving the product A forward, the product A may be pressed forward by a pusher.

  The column main body 21 has a pair of side walls 21a provided on both sides in the width direction and a partition plate 21b provided in the center in the width direction, and stores the products A in two rows with the partition plate 21b interposed therebetween. It has become. The partition plate 21 b is provided behind the front end of the column main body 21, and the inside thereof is formed in a hollow shape so as to accommodate the contact member 23. A guide groove 21c is provided on the front end side of the column body 21 to support the contact member 23 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction.

  The column gate 22 includes a pair of widthwise gate portions 22a disposed in front of the products A in each row and an arm portion 22b provided with each gate portion 22a on one end side, and the other end of the arm portion 22b. Is rotatably connected to the column main body 21 by a support shaft 22c. That is, when the arm portion 22b rotates downward about the support shaft 22c, each gate portion 22a moves downward and the front of the product column 20 is opened.

  The contact member 23 is formed in a plate shape that can be accommodated in the partition plate 21b, and its lower end is engaged with the guide groove 21c so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The contact member 23 is provided with a long hole 23a extending in the front-rear direction, and a spring 23b is provided in the long hole 23a. One end of the spring 23b is connected to the partition plate 21b side, and the other end is connected to the rear end of the long hole 23a. When the contact member 23 is moved rearward, the spring 23b extends, and the contact member 23 is extended. Is urged forward by a spring 23b.

  The interlocking mechanism 24 includes a rack 24a provided integrally with the contact member 23 and a pinion 24b provided integrally with the column gate 22, and the column gate 22 is moved forward and backward by the rack 24a meshing with the pinion 24b. The pinion 24b is rotated around the support shaft 22c to perform an opening / closing operation. The rack 24a is formed to extend forward at the lower end of the contact member 23, and teeth are arranged in the front-rear direction on the upper end side. The pinion 24b is provided on the other end side of the arm portion 22b, and teeth are arranged in the circumferential direction around the support shaft 22c. In this case, when the contact member 23 moves rearward to a predetermined position in the front-rear direction, the rack 24a is removed from the pinion 24b and the column gate 22 is stopped at the predetermined open position as shown in FIG.

  The lock mechanism 25 includes a first locking portion 25a provided integrally with the abutting member 23 and a second locking portion 25b provided on the column main body 21, and the first locking portion 25a The column gate 22 is locked in the closed position by restricting the backward movement of the contact member 23 by the engagement with the second engagement portion 25b. The first locking portion 25a is formed at the lower end of the abutting member 23 so as to extend forward, and its distal end side is locked to the second locking portion 25b. The first locking portion 25a is formed so as to be elastically deformable in the vertical direction, and is elastically deformed upward by coming into contact with the protruding portion 18a provided on the shelf 18. The 2nd latching | locking part 25b is provided in the bottom face of the column main body 21, and the 1st latching | locking part 25a latches to the front end. In this case, when the first locking portion 25a is in contact with the protrusion 18a, the locking between the first locking portion 25a and the second locking portion 25b is released. .

  The merchandise transport mechanism 30 includes a merchandise gripping mechanism 31 that grips the merchandise A, a first moving mechanism 32 that moves the merchandise gripping mechanism 31 in the width direction of the merchandise storage case 13, and a first moving mechanism 32 that moves up and down. The merchandise gripping mechanism 31 is moved in front of each merchandise column 20 and moved in the front-rear direction by a drive mechanism (not shown).

  The product gripping mechanism 31 has a pair of gripping portions 31a provided at intervals in the width direction on the back side, and each gripping portion 31a is moved in the width direction by a driving mechanism (not shown). Further, on both sides in the width direction of the product gripping mechanism 31, contact portions 31 b that can contact the contact member 23 of the product column 20 are provided. That is, the merchandise gripping mechanism 31 moves toward the rear of the merchandise column 20 as shown in FIG. 8 (a) and positions the gripping portions 31a on both sides of the merchandise A, and then, as shown in FIG. 8 (b). As shown in FIG. 8 (c), the product A is moved to the product column by moving the gripping portions 31a inward in the width direction so that the product A is gripped by the gripping portions 31a. It comes to take out from 20. When the product gripping mechanism 31 moves rearward of the product column 20 as shown in FIG. 8 (a), one contact portion 31b of the product gripping mechanism 31 contacts the contact member 23 of the product column 20. As shown in FIG. 8B, the contact member 23 is moved backward by the product gripping mechanism 31. Thereby, the column gate 22 is rotated downward by the interlocking mechanism 24 so that the front of the product column 20 is opened. As shown in FIG. 8C, when the product gripping mechanism 31 moves forward, the contact member 23 moves forward by the spring 23b. Thereby, the column gate 22 rotates upward, and the front of the product column 20 is closed.

  The 1st moving mechanism 32 is provided so that it may extend in the width direction in the goods storage 13, and supports the upper end of the goods gripping mechanism 31 so that a movement in the width direction is possible. The second moving mechanism 33 is provided on both sides in the width direction of the commodity storage 13 so as to extend in the vertical direction, and supports both ends of the first moving mechanism 32 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. That is, the product transport mechanism 30 moves from a predetermined standby position (lower center in the width direction of the product storage 13) to an arbitrary product column 20, and after the product A is taken out of the product column 20 by the product gripping mechanism 31, the product transport mechanism 30 The product A is moved to the product conveyance position (above the flap 14), and after the product A is discharged to the flap 14, the product returns to the standby position. At this time, the position in the width direction and the vertical direction of the product transport mechanism 30 is detected by a position detecting means (not shown) including an optical sensor or a pulse sensor of a motor.

  In the vending machine configured as described above, when a product is selected by the product selection operation unit 12d, the product gripping mechanism 31 of the product transport mechanism 30 moves to the product column 20 of the selected product, and the product gripping mechanism 31 is selected. The product A at the forefront of the product column 20 is taken out. At that time, as described above, the column gate 22 is opened by the backward movement of the product gripping mechanism 31, and the column gate 22 is closed by the forward movement of the product gripping mechanism 31. Next, after the product take-out operation is completed, the product transport mechanism 30 moves to the product transport position, the flap 14 is opened, and the product A is released from the product gripping mechanism 31 to the flap 14. Thereby, the merchandise A is received by the flap 14 and carried out to the merchandise take-out port 12f. Then, after the flap 14 is closed, the commodity transport mechanism 30 moves to the standby position.

  Further, when the product column 20 is pulled out to the front of the product storage 13 at the time of product replenishment, the contact between the first locking portion 25a and the projection 18a of the lock mechanism 25 is released as shown in FIG. The distal end side of the locking portion 25a moves downward. Thereby, the 1st latching | locking part 25a latches to the 2nd latching | locking part 25b, the movement to the back of the contact member 23 is controlled, and the column gate 22 is locked in a closed position.

  Thus, according to the vending machine of the present embodiment, when the product gripping mechanism 31 moves toward the rear of the product column 20, the contact member 23 moves backward due to the contact with the product gripping mechanism 31, When the contact member 23 is moved rearward by the product gripping mechanism 31, the column gate 22 is moved in the opening direction by the interlocking mechanism 24, so that the column gate 22 is quickly moved without moving the product gripping mechanism 31 in the vertical direction. Can be opened and closed. Accordingly, since it is not necessary to move the product gripping mechanism 31 up and down in order to open and close the column gate 22, it is possible to reduce the vertical interval between the product columns 20, and to increase the number of vertical arrangements of the product columns 20. can do. In addition, since it is not necessary to move the product gripping mechanism 31 in the vertical direction, the product carry-out operation can be performed in a short time, and the waiting time of the user can be shortened.

  Further, the interlock mechanism 24 includes a rack 24a provided integrally with the contact member 23 and a pinion 24b provided integrally with the column gate 22, and the column gate is moved forward and backward by the rack 24a meshing with the pinion 24b. Since 22 is rotated together with the pinion 24b to perform the opening and closing operation, the column gate 22 can be reliably opened and closed in conjunction with the contact member 23 with a simple configuration.

  In this case, when the contact member 23 moves rearward from the predetermined position, the rack 24a of the interlocking mechanism 24 is detached from the pinion 24b so that the column gate 22 stops at the predetermined open position. If it is moved rearward from the predetermined position, the column gate 22 can always be opened to a predetermined position regardless of the amount of movement of the contact member 23, and the front of the product column 20 can be reliably opened.

  Further, when the product column 20 is moved forward from a predetermined position in the vending machine main body 10, a lock mechanism 25 for locking the column gate 22 in the closed position is provided. When replenishing, the column gate 22 is not opened even if the contact member 23 is accidentally pressed backward, and the product A can be reliably prevented from falling from the product column 20.

  In this case, the lock mechanism 25 includes a first locking portion 25a provided on the contact member 23 so as to be elastically deformable in the vertical direction, and a second locking portion 25b provided on the product column 20 side. When the product column 20 is in a predetermined position in the vending machine main body 10, the first locking portion 25a comes into contact with the protrusion 18a on the vending machine main body 10 side and the first locking portion 25a When the locking with the second locking portion 25b is released and the product column 20 is moved from a predetermined position in the vending machine main body 10, the first locking portion 25a becomes the second locking portion 25b. Since the column gate 22 is locked by being locked, the column gate 22 can be reliably locked in the closed position with a simple configuration.

The front view of the vending machine which shows one Embodiment of this invention Front sectional view of vending machine Side view of vending machine Perspective view of main part of product column Main part perspective view showing operation of product column Product side cross-sectional view Side sectional view of the main part showing the operation of the product column Plan view showing the operation of the product gripping mechanism Front cross-sectional view showing product removal operation Front cross-sectional view showing product removal operation Side cross-sectional view showing product unloading operation Side cross-sectional view showing product unloading operation Side sectional view of the main part showing the operation of the locking mechanism

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vending machine main body, 20 ... Merchandise column, 22 ... Column gate, 23 ... Contact member, 24 ... Interlocking mechanism, 24a ... Rack, 24b ... Pinion, 25 ... Locking mechanism, 25a ... First locking part, 25b ... 2nd latching | locking part, 30 ... Merchandise conveyance mechanism, 31 ... Merchandise gripping mechanism, A ... Merchandise.

Claims (5)

A product column for arranging and storing products in the front-rear direction, an opening / closing member for preventing product falling that opens and closes the front of the product column, and a product transport mechanism that takes the product from the product column and transports it to a predetermined product transport position The product gripping mechanism of the product transport mechanism is moved from the front to the rear of the product column, and the product at the foremost part of the product column with the opening / closing member opened is gripped by the product gripping mechanism to grip the product. In a vending machine that removes products from the product column by moving the mechanism toward the front of the product column,
A contact member that is provided in the product column so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and moves backward by contact with a product gripping mechanism that moves toward the rear of the product column;
A vending machine comprising an interlocking mechanism that moves the opening / closing member in the opening direction in conjunction with the rearward movement of the contact member. The interlocking mechanism includes a rack provided integrally with the contact member and a pinion provided integrally with the opening / closing member,
2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing member is rotated together with the pinion to open and close by the forward and backward movement of the rack meshing with the pinion. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein when the abutting member moves rearward from a predetermined position, the rack of the interlocking mechanism is detached from the pinion and the opening / closing member is stopped at the predetermined opening position. . The vending machine according to claim 1, 2, or 3, further comprising: a lock mechanism that locks the opening / closing member in the closed position when the commodity column is moved forward from a predetermined position in the vending machine main body. The lock mechanism includes a first locking portion provided on the contact member so as to be elastically deformable in a predetermined direction, and a second locking portion provided on the product column side,
When the commodity column is at the predetermined position in the vending machine main body, the first locking portion comes into contact with a predetermined portion on the vending machine main body side, and the first locking portion and the second locking portion are Is unlocked,
When the commodity column is moved from a predetermined position in the vending machine main body, the first locking portion is locked to the second locking portion and the opening / closing member is locked. The vending machine according to claim 4.

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