JP2021110981A - Article supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article supply device having improved visibility of a contained article from the outside.SOLUTION: An article supply device 10 can supply an article AR stored in an article storage space. The article supply device includes a front wall 19a, a rear wall 19b, a left wall 19c, a right wall 19d, and a lower wall 19e, and is composed of an internal space of a box-shaped container 19 having an open upper surface. The container 10 enables attachment to the article supply device 10 and withdrawal from the article supply device 10. In the mounted state, the front wall 19a, a front side portion 19c1 of the left wall 19c, and a front side portion 19d1 of the right wall 19d are configured to transparently form a part of an outer wall of the article supply device 10. The outer surface of the boundary between the front wall 19a and the left wall 19c and the outer surface of the boundary between the front wall 19a and the right wall 19d are configured to form curved lines in each horizontal cross section. The outer surface of the front wall 19a, the outer surface of the front side portion 19c1 of the left wall 19c, and the outer surface of the front side portion 19d1 of the right wall 19d are configured to form parallel straight lines in each vertical cross section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an article supply device capable of supplying articles.

Regarding the above-mentioned article supply device, Patent Document 1 described later describes a vending machine capable of discharging capsule products stored in an article storage space to a product outlet by rotating a handle and rotating a drum after inserting coins. It is disclosed.

Goods supply devices, including the vending machines mentioned above, include the front wall and the front part of the left wall when the goods storage space consists of at least a space surrounded by a front wall, a back wall, a left wall, a right wall and a lower wall. In many cases, the front side portion of the right wall is configured to form a part of the outer wall of the article supply device and to be transparent so that the consumer can see the contained article from the outside. In addition, in order to increase the number of articles that can be accommodated, design intentions, etc., the outer surface of the front wall may be curved in the vertical cross section (see FIGS. 1 and 4 of Patent Document 1).

By the way, since the goods supply device is installed in a predetermined space in the building in addition to the inside and outside of the store, when the outer surface of the front wall forms a curved line in the vertical cross section as described above, the outer surface of the front wall is formed. Since the reflection angle when sunlight or illumination light is applied to the vehicle is not uniform in the vertical direction, the reflected light from the outer surface of the front wall becomes an obstacle and is accommodated from the outside regardless of the height of the customer's line of sight. There is a concern that it will be difficult to see the article.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-178612

An object of the present invention is to provide an article supply device having improved visibility of an article contained from the outside.

The article supply device as one aspect of the present invention is an article supply device capable of supplying articles housed in the article storage space, and the article storage space includes at least a front wall, a rear wall, a left wall, a right wall, and the article storage space. It consists of a space surrounded by a lower wall, and is configured so that the front wall, the front part of the left wall, and the front part of the right wall form a part of the outer wall of the article supply device and can be seen through. The outer surface of the boundary between the front wall and the left wall and the outer surface of the boundary between the front wall and the right wall form curved lines in each cross section, and the outer surface of the front wall and the outer surface of the front part of the left wall And the outer surface of the front part of the right wall are configured to be straight lines parallel to each other in each vertical cross section.

According to the article supply device according to the present invention, the visibility of the contained article from the outside can be improved.

1 (A) is a front view of the article supply device to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 1 (B) is a left side view of the article supply device, and FIG. 1 (C) is a top view of the article supply device. FIG. 2 (A) is a front view corresponding to FIG. 1 (A) showing a state in which the front door of the article supply device is opened, and FIG. 2 (B) is a view showing a state in which the top plate portion of the article supply device is removed. Top view corresponding to 1 (C) (parts arranged in the container are omitted), FIG. 2 (C) is a top view showing a state after the container is taken out from FIG. 2 (B). 3 (A) to 3 (C) are explanatory views of parts constituting the container and an assembling method. FIG. 4A is a left side view of the container of the article supply device (parts arranged in the container are omitted), FIG. 4B is a top view of the container, and FIG. 4C is a bottom view of the container. Is. FIG. 5 (A) is an enlarged top view of the article distribution section of the article supply device, FIG. 5 (B) is an enlarged left side view of the article distribution section, and FIG. 5 (C) shows the article distribution section arranged in a container. A partially enlarged vertical sectional view showing a state, FIG. 5D is an explanatory view of a modified example of the article distribution unit. FIG. 6 (A) is an enlarged top view showing a state in which the guide unit, the first regulation unit, the second regulation unit, the stirring unit, and the sold-out detection lever are arranged in the container shown in FIG. 4 (B), FIG. 6 (B). ) Is a partial view showing an aspect of the stirring unit shown in FIG. 6 (A) as viewed from the side surface. 7 (A) is a top view showing a state in which a sliding portion is further arranged in the container shown in FIG. 6 (A), and FIG. 7 (B) is a left side view of the sliding portion shown in FIG. 7 (A). It is a left side view corresponding to FIG. 4A which shows the aspect.

In the following description, for convenience, the front side of FIG. 1 (A) is referred to as front, the back side is referred to as rear, the right side is referred to as left, the left side is referred to as right, the upper side is referred to as upper, and the lower side is referred to as lower. Indicate the orientation accordingly.

First, the overall configuration of the article supply device 10 to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In this description, for convenience, some reference numerals of the container 19 described later are used, but the specific configuration of the container 19 and the parts arranged in the container 19 will be described in detail later.

The article supply device 10 mainly includes an apparatus main body 11, a top plate portion 12, an opening / closing door 13, and a container 19.

<< Device body 11 >>
The device main body 11 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped appearance having a front wall portion 11a, a rear wall portion 11b, a left wall portion 11c, a right wall portion 11d, an upper wall portion 11e, and a lower wall portion 11f. (See FIGS. 1 (B), 2 (B) and 2 (C)). At the lower end of the front surface of the front wall portion 11a, there is an overhanging portion 11a1 having the same outer shape as the front end portion of the container 19, so that the bottom view of the device main body 11 is substantially the same as the top view of the top plate 12 ( 1 (B), 1 (C) and 2 (C)). In other words, the bottom view and the top view of the article supply device 10 are substantially the same. Further, on the left side of the overhanging portion 11a1, there is a continuous overhanging portion 11a2 surrounding the lower part of the outlet 17, and the lateral dimension of the overhanging portion 11a2 is about 1 of the lateral dimension of the front wall portion 11a. / 2 (see FIGS. 1 (A), 2 (A) and 2 (C)).

The apparatus main body 11 has a mode in which the upper portion of the front wall portion 11a, the front side portion of the left wall portion 11c, the front side portion of the right wall portion 11d, and the front side portion of the upper wall portion 11e are cut off. Therefore, in the upper part of the front surface of the device main body 11, there is an opening (reference numeral omitted) for mounting and pulling out the container 19 from the front of the article supply device 10 (FIGS. 1 (B) and 2 (C)). See).

When the container 19 (see FIG. 4) is attached to the article supply device 10 (device main body 11) through the above-mentioned opening, the front end of the left wall portion 11c of the device main body 11, the front end of the right wall portion 11d, and the upper wall portion. The front end of the 11e is a positioning portion 11c1, 11d1 and 11e1 provided at substantially the center of the left and right surfaces of the container 19 in the front-rear direction and in contact with the left and right stepped portions 19f having an inverted L shape in the rear view to define the mounting position. (See FIGS. 2B and 2C). Of course, in the mounted state, for example, a recess is provided at the front end (positioning portion 11e1) of the upper wall portion 11e so that each step portion 19f does not come into contact with the front end (positioning portion 11e1) of the upper wall portion 11e, and each step portion 19f is provided. May be brought into contact only with the front end (positioning portion 11c1) of the left wall portion 11c and the front end (positioning portion 11d1) of the right wall portion 11d.

By the way, in the article supply device 10 of the illustrated example, the lower part of the front end (positioning part 11c1) of the left wall part 11c and the lower part of the front end (positioning part 11d1) of the right wall part 11d of the device main body 11, respectively, for design purposes. Is provided with roundness of the same shape (see FIGS. 1B and 2C), and each step portion 19f of the container 19 (see FIG. 4) is also provided with the same roundness.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1A and 1B, the mounted container 19 (see FIG. 4) has a front wall portion 19a, a front portion 19c1 of the left wall portion 19c, and a front portion of the right wall portion 19d. 19d1 becomes a part of the outer wall of the article supply device 10 (device main body 11). In addition, since the front wall portion 19a of the container, the front side portion 19c1 of the left wall portion 19c, and the front side portion 19d1 of the right wall portion 19d can be seen through, the consumer can see the article AR (article AR) housed in the container 19 from the outside. (See FIG. 7) can be visually recognized. Incidentally, the container 19 can be taken out from the article supply device 10 (device main body 11) in addition to being pulled out from the mounted state.

Further, each of the left wall portion 11c and the right wall portion 11d of the apparatus main body 11 is provided with guide portions 11c2 and 11d2 having a rectangular front view so as to be located above the left and right ends of the upper surface of the front wall portion 11a, respectively. (See FIGS. 1 (A), 1 (B), 2 (A) and 2 (C)). The front ends of the guide portions 11c2 and 11d2 project forward from the front surface of the front wall portion 11a, and the front end surfaces of the guide portions 11c2 and 11d2 are substantially flush with the front surface of the closed opening / closing door 13 (FIGS. 1 (B) and FIG. 2 (C)).

In addition, the right surface of the guide portion 11c1 protrudes to the right of the inner surface of the left wall portion 11c, and the left surface of the guide portion 11d1 protrudes to the left of the inner surface of the right wall portion 11d, and the upper surface of each protruding portion. Supports the lower end of the rear side portion 19c2 of the left wall portion 19c and the lower end of the rear side portion 19d2 of the right wall portion 19d of the container 19 when the container 19 is mounted and pulled out. (See FIGS. 2 (C) and 4).

Further, on the front surface of the front wall portion 11a of the apparatus main body 11, an engaging portion 13c1 corresponding to the lock portion 13c of the opening / closing door 13, a rotatable operating portion 14 for supplying articles, and a coin inserting portion 15 are inserted. A return button 16 for returning coins, an outlet 17 having a rectangular front view for taking out the article AR to the outside, and a movable shutter portion 18 arranged inside the outlet 17 are provided. (See FIG. 2 (A)).

An operation shaft 14a is connected to the operation unit 14, and the rear end of the operation shaft 14a is connected to a gear mechanism 14b (such as one composed of a plurality of spur gears) provided on the inner surface of the rear wall portion 11b. (See FIG. 2 (C)). A gear portion 20g of an article distribution portion 20 (see FIGS. 5 to 7) of the container 19 in the mounted state can be meshed with the uppermost gear of this gear mechanism through the opening portion 19h6.

Although not shown, the operation unit 14 can be operated (rotated) on the condition that a predetermined amount of coins have been inserted into the coin insertion unit 15, that is, based on payment of a price. Specifically, when the price is not paid, the operation unit 14 cannot be operated (rotated) by a lock mechanism (not shown) using a solenoid-driven lock lever or the like, and is based on the price payment. The operation unit 14 can be operated (rotated) by releasing the lock by the lock mechanism.

On the rear side of the outlet 17, a supply passage 17a (see FIGS. 2C and 4) for guiding the article AR distributed from the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19 to the outlet 17 is provided. In the article supply device 10 of the illustrated example, a box-shaped one having an inclined plate 17b built-in as the supply passage 17a is shown, but the article AR distributed from the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19 can be guided to the outlet 17. If this is the case, a bent or curved tubular or groove-shaped one may be used as the supply passage.

Although not shown, in the article supply device 10 of the illustrated example, when the article AR distributed from the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19 passes through the supply passage 17a, it can be detected by a reflection type or transmission type optical sensor. It has become like. That is, it is also possible to manage the remaining number of articles AR by counting the supply available based on the detection signal of the optical sensor, and the light emitting element such as an LED separately provided on the front door 13 or the like is lit or blinks only when the supply is available. It is also possible to visually notify the consumer that there is supply.

<< Top plate 12 >>
The top plate portion 12 has a flat upper surface having a constant thickness, and is detachably provided on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 11e of the apparatus main body 11. Although not shown, the upper surface of the upper wall portion 11e has at least two concave portions for positioning, and the lower surface of the top plate portion 12 has at least two convex portions for positioning that can be inserted into the concave portions. NS. In addition, in order to fix the top plate portion 12 to the upper surface of the upper wall portion 11e with screws, at least two screw holes are provided on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 11e, and at least two screws corresponding thereto are inserted. There is a hole in the top plate portion 12. The screw hole and the screw insertion hole may be formed in the center of the above-mentioned positioning recess and protrusion.

Further, a groove portion 12a in the left-right direction is provided on the front portion of the upper surface of the top plate portion 12. The groove 12a is for detachably inserting and arranging an introduction panel, another advertising panel, or the like on which an explanation, an image, or the like relating to the article AR that can be supplied by the article supply device 10 is posted.

The reason why the thickness of the top plate portion 12 is constant and the upper surface thereof is flat is that the top plate 12 can be easily handled and the maximum vertical dimension of the article supply device 10 is reduced. In addition, the reason why the top plate portion 12 is removable is that another article supply device 10 can be stacked and installed on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 11e of the device main body 11 after the top plate portion 12 is removed. That is in. By the way, another article supply device 10 stacked on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 11e of the apparatus main body 11 is connected to the lower article supply device 10 (without the top plate portion 12) by using an appropriate connector. NS.

Supplementing the stacking of the article supply devices 10, in the article supply device 10 of the illustrated example, when the top plate portion 12 is removed, the front side portion of the container 19 is opened in a top view (see FIG. 2B). When another article supply device 10 is stacked, the open portion of the container 19 is closed by the lower wall portion 11f of the device main body 11 of the other article supply device 10 and the lower surface of the overhanging portion 11a1. No parts required.

<< Opening and closing door 12 >>
At the left and right ends of the upper surface of the opening / closing door 13, there are notches 13a1 for receiving the front end protruding portions of the guide portions 11c2 and 11d2 of the device main body 11, and on the left side of the lower surface, the overhanging portion of the front wall portion 11a of the device main body 11 There is a notch 13a2 that surrounds the 11a2 and the upper part of the outlet 17, and the overhanging part 11a2 of the front wall part 11a of the apparatus main body 11 and the overhanging part 13a3 forming a substantially symmetrical shape in the top view are in the lower part on the right side of the front surface. Exists (see FIGS. 1 (A), 2 (A) and 2 (C)).

The opening / closing door 13 is provided with a portion (shaft support portion) 13b between the front end protruding portion of the left guide portion 11d1 and the overhanging portion 11a2 at the front end protruding portion and the overhanging portion 11a2 of the left guide portion 11d1. It is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 13b1 and enables rotation in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction when viewed from above (see FIG. 2A).

Further, the opening / closing door 13 is provided with a lock portion 13 for locking the opening / closing door 13 in the closed state, and in the closed state, the operation unit 14, the coin insertion unit 15, and the return button 16 are respectively placed. There are exposed holes 13d, 13e and 13f on the front surface of the opening / closing door 13 (see FIGS. 1 (A) and 2 (A)).

Further, the upper end of the inner surface of the closed opening / closing door 13 comes into contact with the stopper portion 19g of the mounted container 19 and functions as a withdrawal blocking portion (reference numeral omitted) for preventing the container 19 from being pulled out (FIG. 1 (A)). , FIG. 1 (B) and FIG. 2 (A)). That is, since the container 19 in the mounted state can be pulled out on the condition that the front door 13 is open, it cannot be pulled out when the front door 13 is closed.

Next, the parts constituting the container 19 and the assembling method will be described with reference to FIG. 3, and subsequently, the specific configuration of the container 19 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that 19A and 19B used in FIG. 3 are symbols indicating parts constituting the container 19, and are different from the reference numerals 19a and 19b used in FIG.

<< Parts and assembly method constituting the container 19, see FIG. 3 >>
The container 19 is composed of a first component 19A and a second component 19B. The first component 19A is an opaque component and has a rear wall 19A1, a left wall 19A2, a right wall 19A3, and a lower wall 19A4. The front-rear dimension of the lower wall 19A4 is larger than the front-rear dimension of the left wall 19A2 and the right wall 19A3. Further, at the front ends of the left wall 19A2 and the right wall 19A3, collar portions 19A21 and 19A31 protruding outward in the left-right direction are provided, and the left-right dimension of the front portion of the lower wall 19A4 is the collar portion 19A21 of the left wall 19A2. The distance between the left surface of the left surface and the right surface of the flange portion 19A31 of the right wall 19A3 is the same as that in the left-right direction.

The second part 19B is a transparent or nearly transparent translucent part, and has a front wall 19B1, a left wall 19B2, and a right wall 19B3. The vertical dimensions of the front wall 19B1, the left wall 19B2 and the right wall 19B3 are larger than the vertical dimensions of the rear wall 19A1, the left wall 19A2 and the right wall 19A3 of the first component 19A, and the inner surface of the left wall 19B2 and the right wall 19B3. The left-right distance from the inner surface of the first component 19A is the same as the left-right distance between the left surface of the flange portion 19A21 of the left wall 19A2 of the first component 19A and the right surface of the flange portion 19A31 of the right wall 19A3. Further, protrusions 19B21 and 19B31 projecting inward in the left-right direction are provided at the rear ends of the upper surfaces of the left wall 19B2 and the right wall 19B3, and the left-right dimensions of the protrusions 19B21 and 19B31 are the first component 19A. It is the same as the sum of the thickness of the left wall 19A2 and the left-right dimension of the flange portion 19A21 and the sum of the thickness of the right wall 19A3 and the left-right dimension of the collar portion 19A31.

When assembling the container 19 using the first component 19A and the second component 19B described above, the inner surface of the front wall 19B1 of the second component 19B is brought into contact with the front surface of the front portion of the lower wall 19A4 of the first component 19A. In addition, the lower surfaces of the protrusions 19B21 and 19B31 of the second component 19B are positioned above the collars 19A21 and 19A31 of the first component 19A. Then, the protrusions 19B21 and 19B31 of the second component 19B are connected to the collar portion 19A21 and the collar portion 19A31 of the first component 19A.

As the connection described above, a method of screwing a screw inserted into the screw insertion holes provided in the protrusions 19B21 and 19B31 of the second component 19B into the screw holes provided in the flange portions 19A21 and 19A31 of the first component 19A can be preferably cited. can. Of course, a method of joining the lower surfaces of the protrusions 19B21 and 19B31 of the second component 19B to the upper surfaces of the flanges 19A21 and 19A31 of the first component 19A using an adhesive, and the second component 19B with the first component 19A. A method of joining the parts in contact with each other using an adhesive can also be adopted, and these methods can also be used in combination with the above-mentioned screwing.

The assembled container 19 is surrounded by the rear wall 19A1, the left wall 19A2, the right wall 19A3 and the lower wall 19A4 of the first component 19A, the front wall 19B1 and the left wall 19B2 of the second component 19B, and the right wall 19B3. The space is the space for accommodating articles (signs omitted).

<< Specific configuration of container 19, see FIG. 4 >>
The container 19 has a front wall portion 19a, a rear wall portion 19b, a left wall portion 19c, a right wall portion 19d, and a lower wall portion 19e, and has a box shape with an open upper surface and a rectangular parallelepiped appearance. Is. That is, in this container 19, the internal space surrounded by the five wall portions 19a to 19e is an article storage space (reference numeral omitted).

The front wall portion 19a of the container 19, the front side portion 19c1 of the left wall portion 19c, and the front side portion 19d1 of the right wall portion 19d form a part of the outer wall of the article supply device 10 and are transparent (transparent). Alternatively, the left wall portion 19c is configured to be semi-transparent), and the rear portion 19c2 of the left wall portion 19c, the rear portion 19d2 of the right wall portion 19d, the rear wall portion 19b, and the lower wall portion 19e cannot be seen through (achromatic color). It does not matter whether it is chromatic or not).

Further, at substantially the center of the left surface of the left wall portion 19c of the container 19 and the right surface of the right wall portion 19d in the front-rear direction, there are left and right step portions 19f having an inverted L shape in the rear view, and the upper end portion of each step portion 19f. Is located at the front end of the upper surface of the rear side portion 19c2 of the left wall portion 19c and the rear side portion 19d2 of the right wall portion 19d. Due to the presence of the stepped portion 19f, the left-right dimension of the front side portion 19e1 of the lower wall portion 19e is larger than the left-right dimension of the rear side portion 19e2. In addition, in the lower part of each step portion 19f, the lower part of the front end (positioning portion 11c1) of the left wall portion 11c of the apparatus main body 11 and the lower part of the front end (positioning portion 11d1) of the right wall portion 11d described above, respectively. The same roundness is provided.

Further, the front surface of the front wall portion 19a of the container 19, the left surface of the front side portion 19c1 of the left wall portion 19c, and the right surface of the front side portion 19d1 of the right wall portion 19d form a straight line parallel to each other in each vertical cross section. The outer surface of the boundary portion 19a1 between the front wall portion 19a and the left wall portion 19c and the outer surface of the boundary portion 19a2 between the front wall portion 19a and the right wall portion 19d are straight lines in each vertical cross section. It is configured to be a straight line parallel to. In addition, the front surface of the front wall portion 19a and the boundary portions 19a1 and 19a2 are configured to form curved lines in their respective cross sections.

Further, in the rear portion of the lower wall portion 19a of the container 19, there is a bottomed tubular portion 19h having a circular bottom view for forming an arrangement recess 19h1 for the article distribution portion 20 on the upper surface of the lower wall portion 19a. The left-right dimension of the inner shape of the arrangement recess 19h1 is the same as the left-right dimension of the upper surface of the rear portion of the lower wall portion 19a. In addition, the bottomed tubular portion 19h has a protruding portion 19h2 protruding downward from the lower surface of the rear side portion 19e2 of the lower wall portion 19e, and the lateral dimension of the outer shape of the protruding portion 19h2 is the lower wall portion 19e. It is slightly smaller than the left-right dimension of the rear part of the lower surface.

More specifically, the difference between the left-right dimension of the outer shape of the protruding portion 19h2 of the bottomed tubular portion 19h of the container 19 and the left-right dimension of the lower surface of the rear side portion 19e2 of the lower wall portion 19e is the left wall portion of the container 19. It is equal to the sum of the thickness of the rear portion 19c2 of 19c and the thickness of the rear portion of the right wall portion. In order to realize this, the left and right portions of the protruding portion 19h2 of the bottomed tubular portion 19h are respectively the left surface of the rear side portion 19c2 of the left wall portion 19c of the container 19 and the right surface of the rear side portion 19d2 of the right wall portion 19d. A parallel flat surface 19h3 is provided.

Further, at the center of the bottom surface (the upper surface of the lower wall of the bottomed tubular portion 19h) of the arrangement recess 19h1 of the container 19, a shaft portion 19h4 having a circular top view for rotatably supporting the article distribution portion 20 is provided. A distribution port 19h5 having a circular top view for dropping the article AR into the supply passage 17a is provided on the outside thereof. In addition, an open portion 19h6 having an L-shaped vertical cross section is provided at the rear end of the arrangement recess 19h1. In the opening portion 19h6, when the container 19 is mounted, the gear portion 20g of the article distribution portion 20 is provided with the gear mechanism 14b provided on the inner surface of the rear wall portion 11b of the device main body 11 described above (FIG. 2 (C). )) To mesh with the highest gear.

Next, using FIGS. 5 to 7, parts (article distribution unit 20, induction unit 21, first regulation unit 22, second regulation unit 23, stirring unit 24, sold-out detection lever 25) arranged in the container 19 are used. And the configuration of the sliding portion 26 will be described.

<< Goods Distribution Department 20, see Fig. 5) >>
The article distribution unit 20 has a cylindrical distribution unit main body 20a having a circular top view and an upper wall, and a top view provided on the upper wall of the distribution unit main body 20a at equal angle intervals. It has a plurality of circular article holding holes 20b (five in the article distribution device 10 in the illustrated example), and a substantially pentagonal columnar raised portion 20c provided in the center of the upper wall of the distribution unit main body 20a. The outer shape of the distribution unit main body 20a is slightly smaller than the inner shape of the arrangement recess 19h1 of the container 19. Incidentally, the top view of each article holding hole 20b does not need to be circular as long as the article AR can enter and pass through.

Further, on the rear side in the rotation direction (see the arrow in FIG. 5A for the rotation direction) near the upper end of each article holding hole 20b of the article distribution section 20, a high back portion protruding upward from the upper surface of the distribution section main body 20a. 20d is provided, and a low back portion 20e protruding upward from the upper surface of the distribution unit main body 20a is provided on the front side in the rotation direction (see the arrow in FIG. 5A for the rotation direction) near the upper end of each article holding hole 20b. ing. The vertical dimension of the low back portion 20e is smaller than the vertical dimension of the high back portion 20d.

Each of the high back portions 20d of the article distribution unit 20 has an arched top view, and each inner surface is continuous with the inner surface of the article holding hole 20b without a step, and each of the low back portions 20e has an arched top view. , Each inner surface is continuous with the inner surface of the article holding hole 20b without a step. In addition, the pair of the high-back portion 20d and the low-back portion 20e for each article holding hole 20b is separated from each other on the outer periphery of the distribution section main body 20a (article distribution section 20).

In addition, in FIGS. 5 (A) to 5 (C), the high-back portion 20d and the low-back portion 20e that are adjacent to each other at the place where the article holding hole 20b of the article distribution section 20 does not exist are also the distribution section main body 20a (article distribution section 20). As shown in FIG. 5 (D), the separated portion has the same or slightly smaller vertical dimension as the low back portion 20e, and the top view is visible. An auxiliary low-back portion 20e1 having the same bow shape as the outer circumference of the distribution unit main body 20a (article distribution unit 20) may be provided.

Supplementing the high-back portion 20d and the low-back portion 20e of the article distribution unit 20, in the article supply device 10 of the illustrated example, the high-back portion 20d and the low-back portion 20e for each article holding hole 20b are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the raised portion 20c, respectively. Since there are five curved surfaces (reference numerals omitted) that correspond to each other and are continuous with the inner surfaces of the high-back portion 20d and the low-back portion 20e of each pair, the inner surface of the high-back portion 20d is placed above each article holding hole 20b. There is a C-shaped surface that is composed of an inner surface and a curved surface of the low back portion 20e and has an open outer peripheral portion. Of course, the top view of the raised portion 20c is reduced, and the inner portions of the high back portion 20d and the low back portion 20e are extended so that the inner surface of the high back portion 20d and the inner surface of the low back portion 20e are placed on the respective article holding holes 20b. The top view may form a C-shaped surface, which is composed of the above and the outer peripheral portion is open.

Further, the article distribution unit 20 has a sharp protrusion 20c1 at the center of the upper surface of the raised portion 20c, a shaft support portion 20f having a circular lower surface view under the center of the lower surface of the raised portion 20, and the distribution portion main body 20a. It has a face gear-shaped annular gear portion 20 g at the lower part of the. The shaft support portion 20f is a portion rotatably supported by the shaft portion 19h4 of the container 19.

The article distribution unit 20 is rotatably arranged in the arrangement recess of the container 19 in the manner shown in FIG. 5 (C). Incidentally, the rotation direction of the article distribution unit 20 when supplying the article AR is a clockwise direction (see the arrow in FIG. 5A) in a top view, and when the article holding holes 20b are five, the operation unit 14 The angle at which the article distribution unit 20 rotates in one operation (rotation) with respect to the above is about 72 degrees.

As can be seen from FIG. 5C, in a state where the article distribution unit 20 is arranged in the arrangement recess 19h1 of the container 19, the upper end of each article holding hole 20b does not protrude upward from the upper end of the arrangement recess 19h1. The “non-protruding” includes the case where the upper end of each article holding hole 20b coincides with the upper end of the arrangement recess 19h1 and the case where the upper end of each article holding hole 20b is lower than the upper end of the arrangement recess 19h1.

Each of the high-back portions 20d of the article distribution unit 20 projects upward from the upper end of the arrangement recess 19h1 in a state where the article distribution unit 20 is arranged in the arrangement recess 19h1 of the container 19, while each low-back portion 20d. In the state where the article distribution unit 20 is arranged in the arrangement recess 19h1 of the container 19, each includes a case where each projects upward from the upper end of the arrangement recess 19h1 and a case where the article distribution unit 20 does not project. This "non-protruding" means that the upper end of each article holding hole 20b is lower than the upper end of the arrangement recess 19h1 in a state where the article distribution unit 20 is arranged in the arrangement recess 19h1 of the container 19, and this low is each low. This corresponds to the case where the back portion 20d has a vertical dimension or more.

<< Refer to the induction unit 21, the first regulation unit 22, the second regulation unit 23, the stirring unit 24, the sold-out detection lever 25, and FIG. 6 >>
Arrangement of the container 19 After arranging the article distribution unit 20 in the recess 19h1, the container 19 has the guide unit 21, the first regulation unit 22, the second regulation unit 23, the stirring unit 24, and the selling unit shown in FIG. 6 (A). The off detection lever 25 is appropriately arranged.

The guide portion 21 is a component arranged on the left side of the rear end of the upper surface of the lower wall portion 19e of the container 19, and serves to guide the article AR that has invaded the same portion forward by using the inclined upper surface. .. The guide portion 21 is fixed to the lower wall portion 19 of the container 19 by using a screw or the like (not shown). Of course, the guide portion 21 may be formed integrally with the container 19 in advance.

The first regulation unit 22 is a component arranged on the right side of the rear end of the upper surface of the lower wall portion 19e of the container 19, and is an article holding hole of the article distribution unit 20 stopped on the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19. It serves to prevent the article AR from falling into the 20b from above. The first regulation unit 22 is a height adjusting component (not shown) so as not to come into contact with the article AR that has already entered the article holding hole 20b of the article distribution unit 20 that is about to stop on the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19. And it is fixed to the lower wall portion 19 of the container 19 by using a screw or the like. By the way, it is preferable that the upper surface of the first regulation unit 22 is an inclined surface that can guide the article AR that has entered the first regulation unit 22 forward or diagonally forward.

The second regulation unit 23 is a part arranged inside the first regulation unit 22 in a non-contact manner with the first regulation unit 22, and is an article of the article distribution unit 20 stopped on the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19. It serves to prevent the article AR from entering the holding hole 20b from the front. The second regulating portion 23 is made of an elastically deformable rod-shaped object, for example, a tension coil spring-shaped component, and has already entered the article holding hole 20b of the article distribution section 20 to be stopped on the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19. Both ends thereof are fixed to the lower wall portion 19e of the container 19 by using height adjusting parts and screws (not shown) so as not to come into contact with the article AR.

A plurality of agitating units 24 (three in the article supply device 10 in the illustrated example) are used, and are parts arranged in the raised portion 20c of the article distribution unit 20, and agitate the article AR on the article distribution unit 20. Play the role of doing. Each stirring section 24 is made of an elastically deformable rod-shaped component, for example, a tension coil spring-shaped component, so as not to come into contact with the article AR that has already entered the article holding hole 20b of the article distribution section 20, and each of them is oblique. Each base portion 24a is fixed to the raised portion 20c of the article distribution portion 20 by using a screw or the like (not shown) so as to face upward.

Supplementing the stirring unit 24, when the article distribution unit 20 has five article holding holes 20b and the stirring unit 24 has three, as shown in FIG. 6A, the three stirring units 24 are viewed from above. They are arranged at 120 degree intervals, one of which is arranged so as to be located above the inter-hole portion of two article holding holes 20b out of the five article holding holes 20b, and the remaining two are arranged. It is arranged so as to be located above the other two article holding holes 20b of the five article holding holes. Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 6B, the shape of each stirring portion 24 is such that the base portion 24a facing upward, the intermediate portion 24b facing diagonally upward, and the tip portion 24c facing laterally are continuous. The shape to have is preferable.

The reason why the above-mentioned arrangement mode and shape are adopted for each stirring unit 24 is that the article AR on the article distribution unit 20 is well agitated and the article holding hole 20b (first regulation unit) of the article distribution unit 20 is adopted. It is to smoothly enter the article AR into the article holding hole 20b under the 22).

Of course, even when the article distribution unit 20 has other than five article holding holes 20b and the stirring unit 24 is other than three, a part of the plurality of stirring units is a part of the article holding holes whose tip is a plurality of articles holding holes. If it is arranged so as to be located above the inter-hole portion of the above, and the other portion of the plurality of stirring portions is arranged so that the tip thereof is located above the other portion of the plurality of article holding holes, the same applies. You can get the benefits of.

The sold-out detection lever 25 is a component arranged in front of the arrangement recess 19h1 on the upper surface of the lower wall portion 19e of the container 19, and holds the article of the article distribution section 20 stopped at a position in front of the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19. It serves to detect whether or not the article AR is contained in the hole 20b. The sold-out detection lever 25 is illustrated so that the sold-out detection lever 25 is made of an L-shaped component when viewed from above, and the bent portion at the rear end enters the article holding hole 20b of the article distribution section 20 stopped at a position in front of the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19. It is rotatably supported by the lower wall portion 19e of the container 19 using an omitted screw or the like, and is urged clockwise in a top view by a torsion coil spring or the like (not shown).

Supplementing the sold-out detection lever 25, the sold-out detection lever 25 is twisted (not shown) when the article AR is not in the article holding hole 20b of the article distribution unit 20 stopped at a position in front of the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19. When the article AR is in the article holding hole 20b of the article distribution unit 20 which is rotationally displaced to the solid line position in FIG. 6 (A) by the urging force of a coil spring or the like and stopped at the same front position, the article AR is pressed. Rotationally displaced to the two-dot chain line position in FIG. 6 (A). Therefore, if the position of the front end of the sold-out detection lever 25 is configured to be detected by an on / off switch or a detection mechanism using a reflective or transmissive optical sensor, the article AR can be detected based on these detection signals. It is possible to detect whether or not it is sold out.

<< Sliding part 26, see Fig. 7 >>
The sliding portion 20 is a component arranged on the front side portion 19e1 of the lower wall portion 19e of the container 19 and serves to guide the article AR housed in the container 17 to the rear. The sliding portion 20 is plate-shaped, has a concave portion 26a having an arc-shaped top view at the rear end, and has a wall portion 26b having a triangular view from the left and right sides at each of the left end and the right end. There is a gap (a gap for non-contact with the sold-out detection lever 25) in the vertical direction with the lower wall portion 19e so that the entire vacancy tilts backward and downward, and the recess 26a is the arrangement recess 19h1 of the container 19 when viewed from above. It is fixed to the lower wall portion 19e of the container 19 by using height adjusting parts and screws (not shown) so as not to project inward.

Next, the method of using and the operation of the above-mentioned article supply device 10 will be described with the main effects. The container 19 here is one in which the induction unit 21, the first regulation unit 22, the second regulation unit 23, the stirring unit 24, the sold-out detection lever 25, and the sliding unit 26 are arranged (see FIG. 7). be. Further, here, a state in which the article supply device 10 is in the state of FIG. 1 and a large number of article ARs are accommodated in the article accommodating space of the container 19 is set as an explanation start point.

The article AR includes a toy housed in a separable spherical case, a toy covered with a synthetic resin film, a toy itself spherical and covered with a synthetic resin film, and the like. That is, it does not necessarily have to be spherical as long as it has an outer shape that can be expected to roll, and there are no particular restrictions on the type of toy.

<< Usage and operation related to the supply of article AR >>
Prior to the purchase of the article AR, the consumer is housed in the container 19 through the transparent portion of the container 19 (front wall portion 19a, front portion 19c1 of the left wall portion 19c, rear portion 19d2 of the right wall 19d). Visually check the article AR. Then, the consumer who intends to purchase the article AR inserts a predetermined amount of coins into the coin insertion unit 15 and rotates the operation unit 14 by a predetermined angle (for example, about 360 degrees).

When a predetermined amount of coins are inserted into the coin insertion unit 15, the operation unit 14 is unlocked by the lock mechanism and can be operated (rotated). Further, when the operation unit 14 is operated (rotated), the gear mechanism 14b operates through the operation shaft 14a, and the gear portion 20g of the article distribution unit 20 in which the uppermost gear of the gear mechanism 14b is meshed has a predetermined angle ( When there are five article holding holes 20b, the article AR is rotated (about 72 degrees) and enters the article holding hole 20b located in front of the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19 in the article holding hole 20b of the article distribution unit 20. However, it falls into the supply passage 17a through the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19, and the dropped article AR is guided to the outlet 17. Since the article AR guided to the outlet 17 comes into contact with the shutter portion 18 and stops, the consumer pushes the shutter portion 18 away with a fingertip and takes out the article AR from the outlet 17.

In the article supply device 10 described above, the front surface (outer surface) of the front wall portion 19a of the container 19, the left surface (outer surface) of the front side portion 19c1 of the left wall portion 19c, and the right surface (outer surface) of the front side portion 19d1 of the right wall portion 19d. And are configured to be straight lines parallel to each other in each vertical cross section, and moreover, the outer surface of the boundary portion 19a1 between the front wall portion 19a and the left wall portion 19c, and the front wall portion 19a and the right wall portion 19d. The outer surface of the boundary portion 19a2 of the above is configured to be a straight line parallel to the straight line in each vertical cross section. Therefore, even when the article supply device 10 is installed in a predetermined space in the building as well as in the store or outside the store, the reflection angle of sunlight or illumination light applied to the outer surface of the transparent portion of the container 10 is increased or decreased. Can be uniform in direction. Therefore, regardless of the height of the customer's line of sight, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned reflected light from becoming an obstacle and make it difficult to see the contained article AR from the outside, and the visibility of the contained article AR from the outside is remarkably improved. can do. Further, the outer surface of the boundary portion between the front wall portion 19a and the left wall portion 19c and the outer surface of the boundary portion between the front wall portion 19a and the right wall portion 19d are configured to form curved lines in their respective cross sections. ing. Therefore, the outer surface of the front wall portion 19a is formed of a flat surface, and the upper surface excluding the roundness from the boundary portion between the front wall portion 19a and the left wall portion 19c and the boundary portion between the front wall portion 19a and the right wall portion 19d. It is possible to improve the visibility of the contained article AR from the outside as compared with the case where it is configured to intersect at right angles in the visual sense. Furthermore, by configuring the container 19 to have a curved line in the cross section, the risk of injury or the like can be reduced even when a human unexpectedly collides or comes into contact with the above-mentioned boundary portion of the container 19, and safety is taken into consideration. It has become a thing.

Further, in the article supply device 10 described above, since the horizontal dimension of the inner shape of the placement recess 19h1 of the container 19 matches the horizontal dimension of the upper surface of the rear side portion 19e2 of the lower wall portion 19e, the container 19 is arranged. Compared with the case where the horizontal dimension of the inner shape of the recess 19h1 is smaller than the horizontal dimension of the upper surface of the rear side portion 19e2 of the lower wall portion 19e, the horizontal dimension of the container 19 and thus the horizontal dimension of the article supply device 10 It can be made smaller. Therefore, the installation space for each article supply device 10 can be reduced, and the number of articles to be installed can be increased when the article supply devices 10 are installed side by side.

Further, in the above-mentioned article supply device 10, a high back portion 20d is provided on the rear side in the rotation direction near the upper end of each article holding hole 20b of the article distribution unit 20, and the low back portion 20e is provided on the front side in the rotation direction near the upper end of each article holding hole 20b. Is provided, the article AR guided on the article distribution section 20 by the sliding portion 26 can be received by the high back portion 20d and surely entered into the article holding hole 20b, whereby the article AR is housed in the container 19. It is possible to supply up to the last one of the articles AR.

Further, in the above-mentioned article supply device 10, by adopting the arrangement mode and shape described above for each stirring unit 24, the article AR on the article distribution unit 20 can be satisfactorily agitated, and the article distribution unit can be satisfactorily stirred. The article AR can be smoothly entered into the article holding hole 20b (excluding the article holding hole 20b under the first regulation unit 22) of the article 20.

Further, in the above-mentioned article supply device 10, when the container 19 is attached to the article supply device 10, the lower end of the boundary portion between the front wall portion 19a and the left wall portion 19c, and the front wall portion 19a and the right wall portion Since the lower end of the boundary portion with 19d is not supported by the guide surface 11d3 of the guide portion 11d2, the moving distance on the guide surface 11d3 when the container 19 is attached to the article supply device 10. Can be minimized and the time and effort required for mounting can be reduced.

<< Usage and operation related to replenishment of article AR >>
When the article AR is not in the article holding hole 20b of the article distribution unit 20 stopped at the position in front of the distribution port 19h5 of the container 19 due to the supply of the article AR by the consumer, the sold-out detection lever 25 is shown in FIG. It is rotationally displaced to the indicated position, and sold out is detected by the detection mechanism based on the rotational displacement.

When sold out is detected, the owner of the article supply device 10 or the maintenance contractor who is entrusted by the owner unlocks the opening / closing door 13 and opens the opening / closing door 13 before pulling out the container 19. Alternatively, it is taken out to the outside to replenish the article AR. After replenishing the article AR, the container 19 is reattached, and after the attachment, the opening / closing door 13 is closed and locked again.

The article supply device 10 described above has two guide portions 11c1 and 11d2 on the left and right sides of the main body 11 on the guide surfaces 11c3 and 11d3 in the front-rear direction, and the lower end and the right wall portion of the rear portion 19c2 of the left wall portion 19c of the container 19. Since the configuration in which the lower end of the rear portion 19d2 of the 19d is supported is adopted, the container 19 can be accurately pulled out, taken out, and reattached in accordance with the above-mentioned article replenishment. In other words, even if the horizontal dimension of the inner shape of the arrangement recess 19h1 of the container 19 matches the horizontal dimension of the upper surface of the rear side portion 19e2 of the lower wall portion 19e, the horizontal dimension of the container 19 is increased. The container 19 can be pulled out, taken out, and reattached satisfactorily.

Next, a modification of the above-mentioned article supply device 10 will be described.

In the above-mentioned article supply device 10, the internal space of the container 19 that can be attached to the article supply device 10 and withdrawn from the article supply device 10 is used as the article storage space, but the container 19 is used. Instead, the upper part of the front wall portion 11a of the apparatus main body 11, the upper front side portion of the left wall portion 11c, and the upper front side portion of the right wall portion 11d form a part of the outer wall of the article supply device 10. Moreover, even when it is configured to be transparent (see Patent Document 1 described above), if each is configured so that the outer surface is a straight line parallel to each other in the vertical cross section, the visibility of the contained article AR from the outside is the same. Can be improved.

Further, in the article supply device 10 described above, the lower portion of each step portion 19f of the container 19, the lower portion of the front end of the left wall portion 11c of the apparatus main body 11, and the lower portion of the front end of the right wall portion 11d are each provided with the same roundness. Although the provided ones are shown, the outer surface of the front wall portion 19a of the container 19, the outer surface of the front side portion 19c1 of the left wall portion 19c, and the right wall portion 19d are shown even when the roundness is removed from these to form a straight line. If the outer surface of the front side portion 19d1 of the above is configured to be a straight line parallel to each other in each vertical cross section, the visibility of the contained article AR from the outside can be similarly improved.

Further, in the above-mentioned article supply device 10, the price is paid by inserting a predetermined amount of coins into the coin insertion unit 15, but the price payment using an electronic money card or the code payment using a smartphone or the like is shown. A device capable of (payment of price) may be adopted instead of the coin insertion unit 15.

10 ... Article supply device, 11 ... Device body, 11a ... Front wall part, 11b ... Rear wall part, 11c ... Left wall part, 11c1 ... Positioning part, 11c2 ... Guide part, 11c3 ... Guide surface, 11d ... Right wall part, 11d1 ... Positioning part, 11d2 ... Guide part, 11d3 ... Guide surface, 11e ... Upper wall part, 11f ... Lower wall part, 12 ... Top plate part, 12a ... Groove part, 13 ... Front door, 13b ... Shaft branch, 13b1 ... Shaft Unit, 14 ... Operation unit, 14a ... Operation shaft, 14b ... Gear mechanism, 15 ... Coin insertion unit, 16 ... Return button, 17 ... Outlet, 17a ... Supply passage, 18 ... Shutter unit, 19 ... Container, 19A ... No. 1 part, 19B ... 2nd part, 19a ... front wall part, 19a1, 19a2 ... boundary part, 19b ... rear wall part, 19c ... left wall part, 19c1 ... front side part of left wall part, 19c2 ... behind left wall part Side part, 19d ... Right wall part, 19d1 ... Front side part of right wall part, 19d2 ... Rear part of right wall part, 19e ... Lower wall part, 19f ... Step part, 19g ... Stopper part, 19h ... Bottomed tubular Part, 19h1 ... Arrangement recess, 19h2 ... Protruding part, 19h3 ... Flat surface, 19h5 ... Distribution port, 20 ... Goods distribution part, 20a ... Distribution part main body, 20b ... Goods holding hole, 20d ... High back part, 20e ... Low back part, 20f ... Shaft branch, 20g ... Gear part, 21 ... Induction part, 22 ... First regulation part, 23 ... Second regulation part, 24 ... Stirring part, 24a ... Base part, 24b ... Intermediate part, 24c ... Tip part, 25 ... Sold out detection lever, 26 ... Sliding part, AR ... Goods.

Claims (23)

An article supply device capable of supplying articles stored in an article storage space.
The article storage space consists of a space surrounded by at least a front wall, a rear wall, a left wall, a right wall, and a lower wall.
The front wall, the front portion of the left wall, and the front portion of the right wall are configured to form a part of the outer wall of the article supply device and are transparently configured.
The outer surface of the boundary portion between the front wall and the left wall and the outer surface of the boundary portion between the front wall and the right wall form curved lines in each cross section, and the outer surface of the front wall and the left The outer surface of the front portion of the wall and the outer surface of the front portion of the right wall are configured to form parallel straight lines in their respective vertical cross sections.
Goods supply device. The article storage space is formed by a front wall portion, a rear wall portion, a left wall portion, a right wall portion, and a lower wall portion, and is composed of an internal space of a box-shaped container having an opening on the upper surface.
The edge of the opening is such that the edge of the boundary between the front wall and the left wall and the edge of the boundary between the front wall and the right wall form a curved line. It is configured,
The article supply device according to claim 1. The container is arranged in the article supply device so as to be able to take a mounted state attached to the article supply device and a withdrawn state drawn from the article supply device.
In the mounted state, the container is such that the front wall portion, the front side portion of the left wall portion, and the front side portion of the right wall portion form a part of the outer wall of the article supply device. Configured to be transparent,
The outer surface of the front wall portion, the outer surface of the front side portion of the left wall portion, and the outer surface of the front side portion of the right wall portion are configured to form parallel straight lines in their respective vertical cross sections.
The article supply device according to claim 2. The outer surface of the boundary portion between the front wall portion and the left wall portion and the outer surface of the boundary portion between the front wall portion and the right wall portion form a straight line parallel to the straight line in each vertical cross section. It is configured,
The article supply device according to claim 3. The container is configured such that the rear side portion of the left wall portion, the rear side portion of the right wall portion, the rear wall portion, and the lower wall portion cannot be seen through.
The article supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 4. A bottomed tubular portion for forming a placement recess for an article distribution portion is provided on the upper surface of the lower wall portion on the rear side portion of the lower wall portion of the container.
The left-right dimension of the inner shape of the arrangement recess matches the left-right dimension of the upper surface of the rear portion of the lower wall portion.
The article supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 5. The bottomed tubular portion includes a protruding portion protruding downward from the lower surface of the rear portion of the lower wall portion.
The left-right dimension of the outer shape of the protruding portion is slightly smaller than the left-right dimension of the lower surface of the rear portion of the lower wall portion.
The article supply device according to claim 6. The difference between the left-right dimension of the outer shape of the protruding portion and the left-right dimension of the lower surface of the rear portion of the lower wall portion is the thickness of the rear portion of the left wall portion of the container and the rear side of the right wall portion. Equal to the sum of the thickness of the part,
The article supply device according to claim 7. Each of the left and right portions of the protruding portion is provided with a flat surface parallel to the outer surface of the rear portion of the left wall portion of the container and the outer surface of the rear portion of the right wall portion.
The article supply device according to claim 7 or 8. The lower end of the rear portion of the left wall portion and the lower end of the rear portion of the right wall portion are configured to be supported by the guide surface of the guide portion of the article supply device when the container is mounted and pulled out. Has been
The article supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 9. When the container is attached to the article supply device, the lower end of the boundary portion between the front wall and the left wall and the lower end of the boundary portion between the front wall portion and the right wall portion are the guides. It is configured not to be supported by the guide surface of the part,
The article supply device according to claim 10. The article distribution unit includes a plurality of article holding holes formed at equal intervals in a top view, and is rotatably arranged in the arrangement recess of the container.
The article supply device according to any one of claims 6 to 11. The upper ends of the plurality of article holding holes of the article distribution unit arranged in the arrangement recesses of the container do not protrude upward from the upper ends of the arrangement recesses.
A high back portion is provided on the rear side in the rotation direction near the upper end of each of the plurality of article holding holes so as to protrude upward from the upper end of the arrangement recess of the container.
On the front side in the rotation direction near the upper end of each of the plurality of article holding holes, a low back portion that protrudes upward from the upper end of the arrangement recess of the container and has a smaller vertical dimension than the high back portion is provided. ,
The article supply device according to claim 12. Each of the high back portions has a bow shape when viewed from above, and each inner surface is continuous with the inner surface of each of the plurality of article holding holes without a step.
Each of the low back portions has a bow shape when viewed from above, and each inner surface is continuous with the inner surface of each of the plurality of article holding holes without a step.
The article supply device according to claim 13. The high-back portion and the low-back portion provided near the upper ends of the plurality of article holding holes are separated from each other on the outer periphery of the article distribution portion.
The article supply device according to claim 13 or 14. The article distribution section is provided with a plurality of elastically deformable rod-shaped stirring sections from the center of the article distribution section diagonally upward.
Each of the plurality of stirring portions continuously includes a base portion facing upward, an intermediate portion facing diagonally upward, and a tip portion facing laterally.
The article supply device according to any one of claims 6 to 15. A part of the plurality of stirring portions is arranged so that the tip is located above a part of the inter-hole portion of the plurality of article holding holes.
The other portion of the plurality of stirring portions is arranged so that the tip is located above the other portion of the plurality of article holding holes.
The article supply device according to claim 16. The plurality of article holding holes are five.
The plurality of agitating parts are three.
One of the three agitators is arranged so as to be located above the inter-hole portion of two of the five article holding holes.
The remaining two of the three agitators are arranged so as to be located above the other two article holding holes of the five article holding holes.
The article supply device according to claim 16 or 17. With a front door that can be opened and closed,
The container can be withdrawn from the article supply device provided that the front door is open.
The article supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 18. With a removable top plate,
The top plate portion includes a flat upper surface.
The article supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 19. A groove for inserting a panel is provided on the upper surface of the top plate.
The article supply device according to claim 20. The article supply device is configured so that another article supply device can be stacked and installed on the article supply device with the top plate portion removed.
The article supply device according to claim 20 or 21. An operation unit for supplying the article is further provided.
The operation unit is configured so that it can be operated based on payment of the price.
The article supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 22.

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