JP2007172355A - Article conveyer for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article conveyer for an automatic vending machine capable of constituting simply the article conveyer to reduce a cost, and capable of ensuring thereby a carry-out operation for an article to enhance reliability. <P>SOLUTION: This article conveyer is provided with a main body 1 with an open front face, an outer door 2 for covering the front face, a plurality of article columns 5 provided multistagedly along a vertical direction in the main body 1, an article take-out port 8 provided communicated with an outside of the main body 1, a bucket 11 provided vertically movably between a position corresponding to the article column 5 in each stage and a position corresponding to the article take-out port 8, and for transferring the article delivered from the article column 5 to the article take-out port 8, and a moving mechanism 15 therefor, and the bucket 11 is provided with an article mounting part for receiving the article delivered from the article column 5, in the position corresponding to the article column 5, and having an inclined face part 111 formed low-inclinedly from an end part of an article column 5 side toward an opposed direction thereof, and a horizontal face part 112 extended to a going-down end part of the inclined face part 111. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a merchandise conveying apparatus for a vending machine provided with merchandise columns provided in a plurality of stages on the top and bottom, and a merchandise conveying mechanism for conveying merchandise dispensed from the merchandise columns at each stage to a merchandise outlet.

  A conventional vending machine of this type is known as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-302139 filed and published by the present applicant. This vending machine includes a plurality of product storage columns provided in multiple stages in the main body, a door provided in the front opening of the main body so as to be openable and closable, a product outlet provided in the lower part of the door, and a product storage The product transport bucket is provided in the space between the chamber and the door so as to be movable in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the product delivered from the product storage column is transported to the product outlet by the product transport bucket. It is for sale.

According to this, the product delivered from the product storage column configured in multiple stages in the height direction is received by the product transport bucket provided so as to be movable in the vertical and horizontal directions and transported to the product take-out port. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the drop distance when the product is carried out, and to prevent the product from being damaged or deformed by a drop impact. Further, the product transport bucket is provided with transport guide means such as a guide roller in order to carefully transport the product delivered from the product storage column to the product transport bucket. The acceptance of products that are accepted by consumers is regulated. As a result, damage or the like during the transfer of the product is more reliably prevented.
JP-A-10-302139

  By the way, in a vending machine equipped with such a product transport bucket, a guide roller or the like that moves the product transport bucket in the vertical and horizontal directions, and further transfers the product paid out from the product storage column to the product transport bucket. Since the conveyance guide means is provided, the cost is expensive. On the other hand, if these product transport buckets and their moving mechanisms are easily configured at a low cost, the product delivered from the product storage column is not reliably delivered to the product takeout port, There is a problem that the possibility of the occurrence of poor conveyance increases.

  In order to cope with such a problem, the present invention simply configures the product transport bucket and its moving mechanism to reduce the cost, and reliably delivers the product dispensed from the product storage column to the product take-out port. It is an object of the present invention to provide a product conveying device for a vending machine.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention according to claim 1 includes a main body having an open front surface, an outer door that covers the front surface of the main body, and a plurality of product columns that are provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction in the main body. A product outlet provided in communication with the outside of the main body, and a product movably provided in a vertical direction between a position corresponding to the product column of each stage and a position corresponding to the product outlet. A vending machine product conveying device comprising a bucket for transferring a product paid out from a column to the product take-out port, and a moving mechanism of the bucket, wherein the bucket is located at a position corresponding to the product column. In addition to receiving the product paid out from the product column, the product is extended from the end on the product column side to the inclined surface portion that is inclined downward toward the opposite direction and the descending end portion of the inclined surface portion. Those with a product placement portion and a flat portion.

  According to this, by guiding the product paid out from the product column in the direction away from the product column along the inclination of the inclined surface portion, the product can be separated from the product column and received in the bucket. . Further, the configuration of the bucket having such a function can be simplified.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the inclined surface portion comprises a smooth surface.

  According to this, the product paid out from the product column to the inclined surface portion of the bucket can be slid down along the inclination and easily moved away from the column.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the product that is dispensed from the product column is guided along the inclination of the inclined surface portion in the direction away from the product column, so that the product is separated from the product column and received in the bucket. By being able to do so, the product paid out from the product column can be reliably received in the bucket and carried out to the product take-out port. Moreover, since the structure of the bucket which has such a function can be simplified, the cost can be reduced.

  Further, according to the invention according to claim 2, since the product paid out from the product column to the inclined surface portion of the bucket can be slid down along the inclination, the product can be easily moved away from the product column. Can be reliably separated from the commodity column and received in the bucket. That is, it is possible to provide a product transport device for a vending machine that improves the reliability of the product taken out to the product take-out port.

  A preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an internal structure of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the outer door in the vending machine which concerns on a form. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the shape of the bucket in the commodity conveying apparatus for the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, this vending machine includes a main body 1 having an open front surface and an outer door 2 that covers the opening on the front surface of the main body 1 so as to be freely opened and closed. The main body 1 is provided with a storage 3 having a front surface opened and surrounded by a heat insulating member, and a product storage column (product for storing products arranged in a line in the front-rear direction in the storage 3. A product rack 4 is provided in which columns 5 are arranged in the upper and lower rows and the left and right rows. The product storage column 5 is composed of a spiral member 26 and the like arranged in two rows in the front-rear direction and configured to send the product forward based on a sales command. Each commodity storage column 5 is mounted on a plurality of shelves 6 provided in the storage 3.

  A product sent from each product storage column 5 is received between the outer door 2 and the front of the product rack 4 arranged in the storage 3 in the main body 1 and sent to a product outlet 8 described later. A transport device 10 is provided. The operation of the commodity transport apparatus 10 is controlled by a control unit 30 described later.

  The outer door 2 is configured such that a product stored in the product storage column 5 and a product purchased by a customer at the time of product sales are sent from the product storage column 5 to the product transport device 10 and carried out to the product takeout port 8. A transparent window portion 7 in which a transparent plate is disposed is provided in a region corresponding thereto so that it can be visually observed. In addition, an operation unit is formed on the side of the transparent window unit 7, and a numeric keypad 17 for designating a product for sale by a combination of numeric keys, a product sell-off lamp 17a provided in the numeric keypad 17 unit, and a bill processing device. A bill insertion slot 18a, a coin insertion slot 18b of a coin processing apparatus, a money return lever 19, a display 20 for displaying sales information, a coin return slot 21 for returning change coins, a key portion 22, and the like are arranged. . Further, a product outlet 8 is provided at the lower part of the outer door 2 so as to be positioned below the product conveying device 10, and an outlet door for taking out the sales products sent to the product outlet 8 on the front side thereof. 9 is provided. In addition, an input keyboard 31 to be described later is provided on the back surface of the outer door 2 for inputting various settings such as sales settings.

  The merchandise transporting device 10 guides the bucket support section 12 that receives the merchandise delivered from the merchandise storage column 5, the bucket support section 12 that cantilever-supports the bucket section 11 at one end thereof, and the bucket support section 12. A guide rail 13 that moves the bucket portion 11 in the vertical direction, a driving means (moving mechanism) 15 that acts on the bucket support portion 12 to move the bucket portion 11 in the vertical direction along the guide rail 13, and the bucket portion 11 is provided with an upper limit switch 32 for detecting the upper limit position and a lower limit switch 33 for detecting the lower limit position. The driving means 15 includes a moving mechanism section 36 that moves the bucket support section 12 in the vertical direction along the guide rails 13, a driving motor 37 that drives the moving mechanism section 36, and an encoder section that detects the activation and rotation amount of the driving motor 37. 38 etc. Further, the guide rail 13 that guides the movement of the bucket portion 11 changes the posture of the bucket portion 11 from the horizontal state to the inclined posture in which the tip (front end) faces downward when the bucket portion 11 moves downward and reaches the lower limit position. Guide them to change. The bucket unit 11 is held at an upper limit position (see FIG. 2) above the uppermost product storage column 5 in a normal standby state. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the bucket portion 11 has an inclined surface portion 111 (product placement portion) formed so as to be inclined downward from the rear end portion facing the product storage column 5 toward the front, and a front portion thereof. An extended horizontal surface portion 112 (product placement portion) is provided.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the control means 30 for controlling the sales operation of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, the main control unit 40 controls the overall sales control of the vending machine.

  Next, an operation for selling a product in the vending machine according to the embodiment will be described.

  Here, FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the product S delivered from the product storage column 5 is delivered to the bucket portion 11 located in front of the product storage column 5 in the product transport device of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

  First, when a customer selects and inputs a product for sale using the numeric keypad 17, the drive motor 37 of the product transport apparatus 10 is activated, the bucket unit 11 moves downward from its upper limit position, and the product storage in which the product for sale is stored. It moves to the position of the height corresponding to the column 5 (for example, 11a shown with a broken line in FIG. 2) and stops. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the spiral member 26 of the product storage column 5 is rotationally driven by the spiral driving means 27, and the product S stored in the product is sent out from the front end of the product storage column 5, and the position in front of it. Is received by the bucket unit 11 stopped at Here, since the product S delivered from the product storage column 5 is first paid out on the inclined surface portion 111 formed on the back side of the bucket portion 11 (that is, the product storage column side), the product S is moved forward by the inclination. It tilts or rolls and is guided away from the product storage column 5. That is, as a result, the product S can be reliably separated from the product column 5 and received in the bucket portion 11. Moreover, the horizontal surface part 112 extended ahead of the inclined surface part 111 mounts the goods S discharged | paid out in this way on the upper surface stably. Here, the inclined surface portion 111 of the bucket portion 11 is desirably a smooth surface. In other words, the product S delivered on the inclined surface portion 111 of the bucket portion 11 is thereby guided in a direction to be easily separated from the product storage column 5 by sliding down the slope.

  Thus, the bucket part 11 which received the goods moves downward again. At this time, since the product received in the bucket portion 11 is surely separated from the product column 5 and placed on the bucket portion 11, a part of the product protruding from the bucket portion 11 during the movement is the product storage column 5. It is transported safely without being damaged or deformed in contact with the front end portion. And if the bucket part 11 reaches a lower limit position, the bucket part 11 will be guided to the guide rail 13, and will change the attitude | position to the attitude | position (11b shown with a broken line in FIG. 2) that a front-end | tip faces below. Thereby, the product placed on the bucket unit 11 is sent to the product outlet 8 below and sold. At this time, the lower limit switch 33 is actuated by the bucket portion 11 that has reached the lower limit position, whereby the energization of the drive motor 37 is cut off and the movement of the bucket portion 11 is stopped. Thereafter, when it is detected by the commodity carry-out sensor 34 provided above that the commodity has been delivered to the commodity outlet 8, the drive motor 37 is energized again, and the bucket portion 11 moves upward. When the bucket portion 11 reaches the upper limit position, the upper limit switch 32 is activated, the energization of the drive motor 37 is interrupted, and the movement of the bucket portion 11 is stopped and held at the upper limit position. In this way, the product selected by the customer is reliably taken out to the product outlet 8 and sold.

  In the vending machine according to the present embodiment, for example, when the driving unit 15 of the commodity carry-out device 10 breaks down and the bucket unit 11 becomes unmovable or stops during the movement, the abnormality As a provisional avoidance measure for the state, the product may be dropped directly from the product storage column 5 in which the sales product is stored to the product outlet 8 and sold. According to this, even if the product stored in the product storage column 5 is dropped directly onto the product outlet 8 and carried out, if there is no risk of damage or deformation of the product due to the impact of the drop, By setting the product stored in the product storage column 5 to drop directly to the product outlet 8 for sale, the sales efficiency can be improved. In such a case, it is necessary to confirm from the output of the encoder unit 38 that the bucket unit 11 is stopped at a height that does not hinder the sales operation.

  As described above, according to the commodity transport device of the vending machine of the present invention, the commodity stored in the commodity storage column 5 is always sent to the bucket portion 11 along the inclination of the inclined surface portion 111 of the bucket portion 11. By guiding in a direction away from 5, the product can be separated from the product storage column 5 and received in the bucket portion 11. As a result, the product dispensed from the product storage column 5 can be reliably received in the bucket portion 11 and carried out to the product take-out port 8. Moreover, since the bucket part 11 which has such a function can be made into a simple structure, the cost can be made cheap.

  In addition, by making the inclined surface portion 111 of the bucket portion 11 a smooth surface, the products delivered from the product storage column 5 to the inclined surface portion 111 of the bucket portion 11 are slid along the inclination and separated from the product storage column 5. Since the product can be easily moved in the direction, the product can be reliably separated from the product storage column 5 and received in the bucket portion 11. Thereby, the reliability regarding the carrying-out of the goods to the goods take-out port 8 can be improved.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the apparatus described in this embodiment mode, and application changes are possible within the scope of the gist, for example.

1 is a front view showing a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the vending machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the outer door in the vending machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the bucket in the goods conveyance apparatus of the vending machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control means which controls the sales operation of the vending machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a product dispensed from a product column is delivered to a bucket positioned in front of the product column in the product transport device of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Body
2 Outer door 5 Product storage column (product column)
8 Product outlet 10 Product conveyor
11 Bucket (bucket)
15 Driving means (moving mechanism)
30 Control means 111 Inclined surface part (product placement part)
112 Horizontal part (product placement part)

Claims (2)

A main body having an open front surface, an outer door covering the front surface of the main body, a plurality of product columns provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction in the main body, and a product outlet provided in communication with the outside of the main body A bucket that is movably provided in a vertical direction between a position corresponding to the commodity column of each stage and a position corresponding to the commodity outlet, and that transfers the commodity discharged from the commodity column to the commodity outlet. A vending machine commodities conveying device comprising a bucket moving mechanism,
The bucket receives a product paid out from the product column at a position corresponding to the product column, and an inclined surface portion formed to be inclined downward from an end portion on the product column side in the opposing direction; A product conveying device for a vending machine, comprising a product placing portion having a horizontal surface portion extended to a descending end portion of an inclined surface portion.   The commodity conveying apparatus for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface portion is a smooth surface.

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