JP2578904Y2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine which conveys a product such as a canned beverage carried out from a product outlet in the width direction of a vending machine main body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vending machine of this type, a plurality of product outlets are provided at the lower portion of an inner door covering the front of a product storage section, and arbitrary product outlets are provided in front of these product outlets. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known an arrangement in which a conveyer that conveys carried-out products in the width direction of a vending machine main body is arranged (for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-123681).

[0003]

However, when the vending machine handles a product having an outer shape in one direction longer than the other direction, such as a canned beverage, the width of the conveyer is shorter than the longitudinal direction of the product. When formed, when the product is carried out on the conveyor with the longitudinal direction oriented in the width direction of the vending machine main body, the product is conveyed in this posture, but the product is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vending machine main body. When the product is carried out in an attitude toward the product, one end in the longitudinal direction remains at the product carry-out side, so that the product may be locked at the product carry-out port and cannot be transported. Therefore, in order to prevent such a situation beforehand, the width of the conveyor must be formed longer than the longitudinal direction of the product, so that the dimension of the conveyor in the front-rear direction of the vending machine main body increases. There is a problem that the size of the main body is increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to always direct the longitudinal direction of the product in the width direction of the vending machine main body regardless of the posture of the product. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine which can be corrected to an inclined posture and can form a conveyor having a width shorter than a length of a product in a longitudinal direction.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an inner door having a goods outlet and a conveyor for conveying goods taken out of the goods outlet in a width direction of a vending machine main body. A vending machine for handling goods having an outer shape in which one direction is longer than the other direction, wherein a garbage facing the inner door with a conveyor interposed on one side in the width direction of the conveyor.
The guard member is provided, and an inclined surface is formed on the upper end side of the guard member so as to be more unevenly located on the inner door side than on the lower end side.

[0006]

According to the vending machine of the present invention, when the product delivered from the product exit exits with the longitudinal direction directed in the width direction of the vending machine main body, the product is conveyed on the conveyor in the same posture. You. Further, when the product is carried out with the longitudinal direction directed in the front-rear direction of the vending machine main body, one end in the longitudinal direction remains on the product exit side, the lower end on the other end is on the conveyor, and the other end is on the other end. The upper portions respectively contact the guard members. At this time, since the contact portion of the product with the conveyor is pulled in the conveying direction of the conveyor, a rotational force acts on the product with the contact point with the guard member as a center. At that time, the rotation by the product gas - but projecting wraps around to de member side, gas - - between portions of the contact point between the contact point of the de member and conveyor gas to the upper end side of the de-member lower end More inclined to the inner door side than
Since the slope is formed, the rotation of the projecting portion of the product is not hindered by the guard member, and the product rotates smoothly. Therefore, even if the product is carried out with the longitudinal direction directed in the front-rear direction of the vending machine main body, the posture of the product is corrected to the posture in which the longitudinal direction is oriented in the width direction of the vending machine main body. It is possible to form the width shorter than the length of the product in the longitudinal direction.

[0007]

1 to 7 show an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a box-shaped vending machine main body having an open front, and a heat-insulating inner door 1a is provided at the front opening.
Is attached, and a product outlet 1b is provided below the inner door 1a.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a product storage section provided inside the inner door 1a, which is a well-known serpentine column for stacking and storing beverage cans, and stores the lowest stored product by operating a product unloading device (not shown). Each one can fall under its own weight. As shown in FIG. 2, a total of five product storage units 2 are arranged side by side in the width direction of the vending machine main body 1, and each product storage unit 2 can individually carry out products. In addition, the product exit 1b of the inner door 1a is provided only for the position corresponding to the conveyor 6 described later, that is, only for the fourth product storage unit 2 from the right side in the figure, and below the product storage unit 2. Is an inclined shoe that guides the dropped product S to the product exit 1b.
3 is provided. A product outlet is not provided at a position corresponding to the bucket 7 described later, that is, at the leftmost product storage section 2, and the product is guided to an adjacent product discharge port 1 b below the product storage section 2. An inclined shoe 4 is provided.

Reference numeral 5 denotes an outer door covering the front of the inner door 1a, which has a product sample room, a selling button, etc., which are not shown, and is attached to the vending machine main body 1 so as to be freely opened and closed. A product outlet 5a is provided on the front surface of the outer door 5, and the product outlet 5a is located above the product outlet 1b and is provided in front of the leftmost product storage section 2. I have. Note that reference numeral 5b denotes a product receiver provided inside the product outlet 5a.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a conveyor provided at a lower front portion of each product outlet 1b. As shown in FIG. 2, an endless feed belt 6a extending between the product outlets 1b, and two ends of the feed belt 6a are provided. And a supporting pulley 6b. In this conveyor 6, the pulley 6b is rotated by a motor (not shown), and the feed belt 6a is rotated in the direction of the arrow in the figure.

Numeral 7 designates a bucket for receiving the goods carried out of the goods storage section 2, as shown in FIG. 4, a box-shaped bucket body 7a having an open upper surface, and a pair of bucket bodies 7a projecting from one side of the bucket body 7a. , And each side surface of the bucket body 7a has a shape gradually expanding upward. Each of the reversing levers 7b extends obliquely upward, and has a base provided with a hole 7c through which the pin 8 can be inserted.

Reference numeral 9 denotes an elevating mechanism for moving the bucket 7 up and down.
As shown in FIG. 5, a guide member 10 is provided vertically inside the outer door 5, a slider 11 that moves up and down along the guide member 10, and a motor 12 for driving. The guide member 10 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and a guide groove 10a extending vertically is formed on both side surfaces. A reversing shaft 13 is attached to the upper end of the guide member 10 and extends right and left through each guide groove 10a. The slider 11 is formed to have a substantially U-shaped cross section, and a pair of rollers 11a, which are mounted on upper and lower sides on both inner side surfaces, are slidably engaged with the respective guide grooves 10a. Supporting pieces 11b for attaching a bucket are provided on both upper ends of the slider 11.
The support piece 11b has a hole 1 through which the pin 8 is inserted.
1c is provided. That is, by connecting the hole 11c and the hole 7c of the bucket 7 with the pin 8, the bucket 7 is supported by the slider 11 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction.
On the other hand, the motor 12 is attached to a lower portion of the guide member 10, and a first sprocket 14 is attached to a rotating shaft thereof. A second sprocket 15 is mounted on the upper portion of the guide member 10, and the sprockets 14, 15 are connected by an endless chain 16. Further, a part of the chain 16 is a fixing portion 11d provided on the slider 11.
It is connected to. That is, in this elevating mechanism 9, the chain 16 is rotated by forward and reverse rotation of the motor 12,
The slider 11 connected to the chain 16 is connected to the guide member 1.
It can be moved up and down along the zero guide groove 10a. The upper stop position and the lower stop position of the slider 11 are determined by detection of a sensor (not shown). Further, the bucket 7 rises and descends together with the slider 11 starting from a position slightly lower than the conveyor 6, and at the ascending position, the reversing lever 7 b hits the reversing shaft 13 as shown in FIG. Exit 5
It reverses toward a.

A guard member 17 is provided on one side in the width direction of the conveyor 6 and is formed continuously over the length of the conveyor 6. The guard member 17 is fixed to the inside of the outer door 5 and, as shown in FIG. 1, a substantially upper half of a surface facing the inner door 1a forms an inclined surface 17a slightly downward, and a substantially lower half thereof. It is formed so as to form a vertical surface 17b. That is, the inclined surface 17a is larger than the vertical surface 17b in the inner door 1a.
It is unevenly distributed on the side.

Next, the operation of the vending machine of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 6, and 7.

First, when a sales button is pressed after coins are inserted, the product S falls from a predetermined product storage unit 2 (see a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3). It is unloaded from the product outlet 1b. The commodity S delivered from the commodity exit 1b usually falls onto the conveyor 6 in a horizontal position with its longitudinal direction oriented in the width direction of the vending machine main body 1, and is conveyed to the bucket 7 in the same position. When the unloaded product S is unloaded in a vertical position with the longitudinal direction facing the front-rear direction of the vending machine main body 1, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. Is left on the side of the product exit 1b, the lower end of the other end is on the conveyor 6, and the upper end on the other end is the inclined surface 1 of the guard member 17.
7a. At this time, the conveyor 6 of the product S
Since the contact portion with the inclined surface 17a is pulled in the conveying direction of the conveyor 6, a rotational force acts on the product S about the contact point A with the inclined surface 17a. At this time, the portion between the contact point A of the commodity S with the inclined surface 17a and the contact point B of the conveyor 6 wraps around and protrudes toward the guard member 17 due to this rotation (FIG. 1).
, The inclined surface 17a is the lower vertical surface 1
7b, the protruding portion S 'of the commodity S is rotated by the guard member 1.
7, the product S rotates smoothly as shown in FIG. 6 (b), and the longitudinal direction is set in the width direction of the vending machine main body 1 as shown in FIG. 6 (c). It is corrected to the sideways orientation. Then, when the goods S conveyed by the conveyor 6 are received by the bucket 7, the bucket 7 is raised by the lifting mechanism 9 as shown in FIG. 7, whereby the reversing lever 7b hits the reversing shaft 13 and the bucket 7 Is turned around the pin 8 toward the product outlet 5a, and the product S of the bucket 7 falls into the product receiver 5b of the product outlet 5a.

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present embodiment, the garage facing the inner door 1a is provided on one side in the width direction of the conveyor 6.
The guard member 17 is provided, and an inclined surface 17a is formed on the upper end side of the guard member 17 so as to be closer to the inner door 1a side than the vertical surface 17b on the lower end side. When the product S is carried out in the vertical position in the front-rear direction, the inclined surface 17a of the guard member 17 is brought into contact with a part of the product S, and the product S is smoothly moved around the contact point A. Since the product S is rotated, the longitudinal direction can always be corrected to the lateral orientation toward the width direction of the vending machine main body 1 regardless of the attitude of the product S being carried out. Therefore, the width of the conveyor 6 can be formed shorter than the length of the product S in the longitudinal direction, so that the conveyor 6 can be thinned in the front-rear direction of the vending machine main body 1 and the vending machine main body 1 can be formed. The size can be reduced.

[0018]

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present invention, the longitudinal direction of the vending machine is always corrected to the horizontal orientation in the width direction of the vending machine main body regardless of the posture of the product. Accordingly, the width of the conveyor can be formed shorter than the length of the product in the longitudinal direction, and the vending machine body can be downsized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a main part of a vending machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a main part of the vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a main part of the vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bucket.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a lifting mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a posture correction operation of a product.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a bucket.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... vending machine main body, 1a ... inner door, 1b ... goods carry-out exit,
6: conveyor, 17: guard member, 17a: inclined surface, 1
7b: vertical surface, S: product.

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. An article having an inner door having a product outlet and a conveyor for transporting the product taken out from the product outlet in the width direction of the vending machine main body, wherein one side has an outer shape longer than the other direction. In the vending machine, a guard member facing the inner door is provided on one side in the width direction of the conveyor with the conveyor interposed, and the upper end of the guard member is closer to the inner door than the lower end. inclined to be unevenly distributed
A vending machine characterized by forming a slope .