JP2621572B2 - Vending machine product take-out device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a merchandise take-out device for a vending machine that sells merchandise in various containers such as cans, bottles, and paper packs.

[Conventional technology]

Various product racks such as a serpentine rack, a spiral type rack, and a direct stack type rack are known as product racks mounted on vending machines that sell products of the above-mentioned various containers. Each of these product racks uses gravity to carry out the product in its own weight and drops.
The product is carried out from the lower end of the rack, and is taken out of the rack through a shooter to a product outlet provided at a lower front portion of the cabinet.

On the other hand, if the product outlet is installed at a low position as described above, there is an inconvenience that the customer must bend down and take a low posture when taking out the product from the product outlet.

Therefore, the position of the product outlet is moved from the lower part of the cabinet to the upper position so that the customer can easily take out the product while standing, and the elevator between the product rack outlet and the product outlet is connected. A product take-out device in which a mechanism is provided and an elevator mechanism directly receives a product carried out of a product rack and transports the product to the position of a product take-out port is already known from Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-5571.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, when the above-mentioned conventional product take-out device is directly applied to a large-sized vending machine, the following problems remain.

In other words, recent vending machines are mainly multi-selection vending machines in which various products are sold by the same machine, and tend to become larger and larger. In such a vending machine, various product racks are installed in the cabinet side by side, and in a normal vending machine, product outlets corresponding to these product racks and individually correspond to each other are provided side by side on the front of the cabinet, In addition, a shooter is arranged between the product rack and the product outlet to send out the product to the product outlet.

Therefore, in order to directly apply the above-described elevator mechanism type product take-out device to such a large-sized vending machine, it is necessary to equip each product rack with an elevator mechanism, or to use one elevator mechanism for each product rack. In order to accommodate the product rack, it is necessary to equip a large common elevator mechanism with a width equivalent to the width of the front of the product racks arranged on the left and right. Not only is it difficult to assemble the product, but also the structure of the product take-out device is complicated and its maintenance is troublesome.

Further, in the above configuration, a plurality of product outlets are opened at the middle position on the front of the cabinet, or a large product outlet having a large width is opened. At the same time, there are inconveniences such as a customer searching for a place to carry out a product, and also in terms of design, there is a problem that the design of vending machines is spoiled against the trend of fashion in recent years.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has a simple structure and can easily cope with a large selection vending machine having many selections. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine product take-out device that can be sent to a product take-out port provided at a location.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 receives a commodity dropped and carried down from a plurality of commodity racks arranged side by side in a warehouse and sends it to a commodity take-out port provided above the exit of the commodity rack. A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine, wherein the merchandise pick-up device is connected between a horizontal transport conveyor laid in front of an outlet of each merchandise rack and a merchandise outlet located above and connected to the horizontal conveyor. The vertical transport conveyor is combined with the vertical transport conveyor, and during the selling operation, the horizontal transport conveyor is temporarily reversely rotated immediately after the start-up, and thereafter the movement is controlled to switch to the normal rotation.

In the vending machine according to the second aspect of the present invention, a vending machine which receives a commodity dropped and carried down from a plurality of commodity racks arranged side by side in the warehouse and sends it to a commodity take-out port provided above the exit of the commodity rack. A product take-out device, wherein a vertical transport conveyor laid between a horizontal transport conveyor laid in front of and facing the outlet of each product rack and a product outlet located above and connected to the horizontal transport conveyor. The combination of the above is characterized in that the presence or absence of a product jam on the transport conveyor is monitored during the selling operation, and when the product jam occurs, the transport conveyor is temporarily switched to reverse rotation and returned to normal rotation again.

Further, as in the third aspect of the present invention, an automatic vending machine receives a commodity dropped and conveyed downward from a plurality of commodity racks arranged side by side in the warehouse and sends it to a commodity take-out port provided above the exit of the commodity rack. Product take-out device of a machine, a vertical conveying conveyor laid in front of and facing the exit of each product rack, and a vertical product laid between the horizontal product conveyor and a product take-out port located above. Combined with a transport conveyor, a product vertical transport guide is provided along the product vertical transport path, facing the transport conveyor belt across the product path, and this vertical transport guide is provided by the transport guide and the transport conveyor. A passage width adjusting means for variably adjusting the width of the product passage between the two according to the product size can be provided.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention described in claim 4 is:
A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine, which receives merchandise dropped and carried down from a plurality of merchandise racks arranged side by side in a warehouse and sends out the merchandise to a merchandise outlet provided above an outlet of the merchandise rack. An endless belt with fingers is hung between a pulley and a corner guide roller along a transport path between the outlet of the product and a product outlet located above the product.
The endless conveyor is provided with an arc-shaped product conveyance guide that avoids interference between a belt guide roller and a conveyed product at an inner peripheral corner portion of the endless conveyor.

Further, as in the invention according to the fifth aspect, an automatic vending machine which receives a product dropped and conveyed downward from a plurality of product racks arranged side by side in the warehouse and sends the product to a product outlet provided above the outlet of the product rack. An endless belt with fingers along a transport path between an outlet of each product rack and a product outlet located above.
Consisting of an L-shaped continuous conveyor hanged between the corner guide rollers, a vertical conveyance guide for the product is provided along the vertical conveyance path of the product, facing the conveyance conveyor belt across the product path, This vertical transport guide
Passage width adjusting means for variably adjusting the width of the product passage between the conveyance guide and the conveyance conveyor in accordance with the product size can be provided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine for receiving a commodity dropped and carried down from a plurality of commodity racks arranged side by side in a warehouse and sending the commodity to a commodity take-out port provided above the exit of the commodity rack. A continuous product in which an endless belt with fingers is hung between a pulley and a corner guide roller along a transport path between an outlet of each product rack and a product outlet located above, and is laid in an L-shape. In the standby mode, the fingers of the conveyor with fingers are retracted to a position outside the area where the product falls from the product rack, and during the sales operation, the conveyor is started after the product is removed from the product rack. It is characterized by controlling.

Further, as in the invention according to the seventh aspect, an automatic vending machine which receives a commodity dropped and carried down from a plurality of commodity racks arranged side by side in the warehouse and sends it to a commodity take-out port provided above the exit of the commodity rack. An endless belt with fingers along a transport path between an outlet of each product rack and a product outlet located above.
Consists of an L-shaped continuous conveyor suspended between corner guide rollers, monitors the presence or absence of product jams on the conveyor during the sales operation, and temporarily reverses the conveyor when a product jam occurs. It can be switched and made to rotate forward again.

Further, as in the invention according to the eighth aspect, an automatic vending machine which receives a commodity dropped and carried down from a plurality of commodity racks arranged side by side in the warehouse and sends it to a commodity take-out port provided above the exit of the commodity rack. A product take-out device for a machine, wherein an endless belt with fingers is hung between a pulley and a corner guide roller along a transport path between an outlet of each product rack and a product take-out port located above, and laid in an L-shape. It is also possible to control the operation such that the conveyor is temporarily reversed immediately after starting during the selling operation, and then switched to the normal rotation during the selling operation.

In this case, as described in claim 9, a finger detector is provided behind the area where the goods fall from the goods rack opposite to the transfer conveyor with fingers, and the transfer conveyor is restarted after the completion of the goods unloading operation. It is preferable to control the operation so that the conveyor is stopped at a position where the finger detector detects the finger and the finger conveyor is put on standby.

[Action]

In the combination of the horizontal transport conveyor and the vertical transport conveyor according to the invention according to claims 1 to 3, the horizontal transport conveyor receives the goods carried out of the product rack, transports the products in the horizontal direction, and starts the vertical transport conveyor from the end. And transport it to the product outlet located above. Further, in the continuous conveyor according to the fourth to ninth aspects of the present invention, the product delivered from the product rack is received by an endless belt with fingers bent in an L-shape, and the product is continuously fed to the product outlet along the transport path. Transported.

Here, as in the first and sixth aspects of the present invention, the conveyor is temporarily reversely rotated immediately after the start during the selling operation, and thereafter, the operation is controlled so as to switch to the normal rotation. Posture disturbances, such as a product that has been dropped and carried out standing, are corrected to a stable posture by a temporary reversing operation of the conveyor.

Also, as in the invention described in claims 2 and 7,
During the sales operation, the presence or absence of a product jam on the conveyor is monitored, and when a product jam occurs, the conveyor is temporarily switched to reverse rotation and controlled to return to normal rotation again. Even if a product jam occurs, most of the product jams are released by the reverse operation of the transport conveyor, and the product is restored to the normal transport position.

On the other hand, as in the inventions of claims 3 and 5,
By providing the passage width adjusting means, even when the product size is changed, the product is stably conveyed by the conveying conveyor.

Further, in the continuous conveyor, an arc-shaped product conveyance guide that avoids interference between the belt guide roller and the conveyed product is provided at the inner peripheral corner portion of the endless conveyor as described in the fourth aspect of the invention, so that the conveyance during the conveyance is completed. As a result, the goods approaching the corners from the horizontal conveyance path are transferred to the vertical conveyance path without interfering with the belt guide rollers while being picked up by the product conveyance guide.

Further, operation control in a continuous type conveyor is provided.
As described in the invention described above, in the standby state for sale, the fingers of the conveyor with fingers are retracted to a position outside the falling area of the product from the product rack, and during the selling operation, the transport conveyor is started after the product is discharged from the product rack. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the product dropped from the product rack at the time of sale from hitting the fingers of the moving conveyor and jumping up the product or disturbing the transporting posture. In this case, by providing a finger detector at a predetermined position as a means for retreating the fingers of the transport conveyor to a position outside the product falling area in the standby state for sale, the fingers of the transport conveyor are moved from the product rack. Is reliably evacuated to the outside of the product fall area.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, in FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a vending machine cabinet, 2 denotes a front door thereof, and 3 denotes a merchandise rack arranged in the cabinet of the cabinet 1 side by side (only the serpentine rack shown at the left end is shown). 4 is a merchandise unloading shooter arranged below the merchandise rack 3 corresponding to each merchandise rack 3, 5 is a middle door arranged on the front surface of the merchandise rack 3, and 6 is the shooter 4. A product outlet 7 continuously opened to the middle door 5 and a product outlet 7 opened to the middle position of the front door 2 are provided. On the other hand, in the space sandwiched between the front door 2 and the middle door 5, along a product take-out path connecting the product outlet 6 and a product take-out port 7 provided at a position above the product outlet 6. A product removal device 8 according to the present invention is provided.

The above-mentioned product take-out device 8 is provided with a horizontal transport conveyor 9 laid in front of and facing the product outlets 6 of the product racks 3 arranged on the left and right, and a product take-out port 7 connected to the conveyor 9. Vertical conveyor laid between
10 and are connected in an L-shape and combined. Here, the horizontal transport conveyor 9 has an endless belt stretched between a pair of left and right pulleys. In the illustrated example, the horizontal conveyor 9 is a belt having no fingers. However, in order to more reliably convey products, fingers for feeding products may be provided at predetermined intervals around the belt. .
On the other hand, the vertical transport conveyor section 10 is one in which an endless belt with fingers is stretched between a pair of upper and lower pulleys.
It has. Further, a vertical transport guide plate 11 is provided along the vertical transport path of the product, facing the transport conveyor belt and sandwiching the product path. Reference numeral 12 denotes a product transfer attitude control guide provided between the end of the horizontal conveyor 9 and the vertical conveyor 10.

With this configuration, when the product (canned product) 13 stored in the product rack 3 is dropped below the product rack 3 by the operation of the bend mechanism 3a based on the sales instruction, the product 13
Rolls the shooter 4 in the horizontal orientation, and is transferred onto the horizontal conveyor 9 through the product outlet 6. At the same time, the horizontal conveyor 9 and the vertical conveyor 10 start,
13 is horizontally conveyed on the belt of the horizontal conveyor 9 from right to left, and is transferred to the vertical conveyor 10 from the end. In the course of the transfer between the conveyors, the product 13 changes from the horizontal orientation to the vertical orientation by the attitude control plate 12, and is held on fingers 10a provided on the peripheral surface of the belt. Subsequently, it is pushed up by the vertical transport conveyor 10 and ascends the product path while being guided by the vertical transport guide plate 11,
When it reaches the upper end of the guide plate 11, the vertical conveyor
It is released from 10 to the product outlet 7. In addition, a product carried out from another product rack is taken out to the same product outlet 7 along a similar transport path. The conveyor units 9 and 10 may be driven by separate drive motors, or may be driven by a single motor.

Next, another embodiment is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the horizontal conveyor and the vertical conveyor in the above-described embodiment are combined into one conveyor, and a space between a product outlet 6 arranged on the left and right and a product outlet 7 provided at an upper position is provided. An endless belt 14 with fingers continuous between pulleys along an interconnecting transport path is stretched in an L-shape. That is, on the peripheral surface of the belt 14 made of rubber or the like, fingers 14a for holding the products are formed which are protruded at regular intervals, and the belt is guided by the guide rollers 14b and 14c in the L-shaped corner portion. Support, in this state the drive motor 14d
Is driven to rotate in a fixed direction.

The product take-out operation according to this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the previous embodiment, and the product 13 carried out of the product rack 3 is delivered from the product outlet 6 to the L-shaped continuous conveyor belt 14 and is kept in the horizontal position. It is sent out to the product outlet 7 via the transport and vertical transport paths. Moreover, compared with the embodiment of FIG. 1, the goods 13 can be continuously transferred to the goods take-out port 7 by one transfer conveyor. Therefore, the mechanism is simplified, and it is not necessary to control the attitude of a special product during the conveyance.

On the other hand, with respect to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the guide roller 14 is moved while the product 13 passes through the corner of the endless belt 14.
In order to avoid interference with c, as shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, an arc-shaped product transport guide 15 is provided so as to cover the inner peripheral side of the guide roller 14c. The product transport guide 15 is composed of a guide plate having a relatively large radius of curvature disposed so that the product transport guide 15 is divided into two right and left sides so as to avoid interference with the fingers 14a and whose front and rear ends are close to the belt surface. Therefore, when the product 13 reaches the corner from the horizontal transport path, the product 13 is scooped by the product transport guide 15 and once separated from the belt, pushed from behind by the fingers 14a, and moved on the inner peripheral surface of the transport guide. It passes through the corner of the belt while sliding. This is the product
Interference between 13 and the guide roller 14c can be avoided.

In FIG. 3, a product carrying-out guide 16 is provided between the end position of the upper end of the endless belt 14 and the product outlet 7. This product unloading guide 16 is for transferring the product 13 ascended and conveyed by the conveyor to the product outlet 7 in a vertical posture, and its detailed structure is the sixth.
As shown in the figure, an arch-shaped gutter-shaped guide plate laid so as to connect between the conveyance path on the endless belt 14 and above the product outlet 7, and a finger is provided at the end on the belt side.
A notch 16a through which 14a slips through is formed.

With such a configuration, when the product 13 in the vertical orientation that has been ascended and conveyed at a conveyor speed of about 1 to 2 m per second reaches the upper end position of the conveyor, the product 13 is scooped by the product discharge guide 16, and the roller coaster is removed. According to the same principle, the top of the product 13 slides on the arch-shaped guide surface of the guide 16 and lands on the product outlet 7 to be carried out by the inertia force of the conveyance at that time while maintaining the vertical position. Therefore the customer
13 can be taken out from the product outlet 7 by holding it in the vertical position. In this case, the storage position in the product rack (to the product rack shown in FIG. 1) is set in advance so that the drinking mouth of the product 13 (the mouthpiece of the canned product, the cap of the bottled product) is conveyed on the conveyor. The customer holds the product 13 with one hand after taking out the product 13,
It is convenient because you can open the mouth of the product with your free hand.

Incidentally, the above-mentioned product carry-out guide 16 can of course be similarly applied to the vertical transport guide 10 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Next, each of the above-described embodiments, in particular, an embodiment in which the problem of the product guide function by the vertical conveyance guide (conveyance guide plate 11) of the product shown in FIGS. State.

First, FIG. 7 is a view showing a transport conveyor mechanism corresponding to the product take-out device shown in FIG. By the way, in the case where the vertical transport guide is constituted by the fixed guide plate 11 as shown in the figure, there is no problem in the operation of the transport guide when the product 13 is a cylindrical can product, but especially the product 13 is a bottle. When handling products, the following transport troubles are likely to occur. That is,
As shown, when the bottle product 13 is pushed up and transported in the vertical transport path with the cap directed downward, the fingers 14a of the transport conveyor belt 14 (the same material as the transport belt, for example, made of rubber) are used. A situation occurs in which the product 13 is hung on the neck of the bottle product and is pressed against the guide plate 11 in an inclined posture. Thus, when the product is bridged in the passage as described above, a large frictional resistance is applied between the product 13 and the guide plate 11 by sliding, so that the product 13 remains in the position with the product 13 stuck in the passage. A transport trouble that stops is likely to occur.

Therefore, an embodiment of a vertical conveyance guide which newly takes measures to prevent product clogging will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. FIG. First, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a vertical transport guide having a structure in which a number of rotatable guide rollers 19 are arranged vertically and attached to a base 20 along the vertical transport path of the product with the roller surface facing the product path. It is shown. By adopting the roller type vertical transport guide, the product 13 can be rotated freely in the process of ascending the vertical transport path by the transport conveyor.
The transfer guide is brought into contact with 19. Therefore, the frictional resistance applied between the product and the vertical transport guide is small, and thus the product 13 is smoothly transported upward toward the product outlet 7 without being blocked in the passage.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, a vertical conveyance guide is constituted by a rotary belt mechanism 23 in which a product guide belt 21 (endless belt) is stretched between rotatable upper and lower pulleys 22. With such a configuration, when the product 13 rises in the product path on the belt 14 of the transport conveyor, the product guide belt 21 rotates while being in contact with the product 13 and following the upward movement of the product. Therefore, no sliding frictional resistance is applied between the product 13 and the belt 21, so that the product can be satisfactorily prevented from being jammed as in the embodiment of FIG.

On the other hand, if the pulley 22 is driven to rotate at the same speed as the conveyor by the drive motor (not shown) with respect to the rotating belt mechanism 23 shown in FIG. The frictional resistance is completely eliminated, and the conveying force is also applied from the side of the rotary belt mechanism 23, so that the product 13 can be smoothly conveyed toward the product outlet 7.

In the embodiment of FIG. 10, instead of driving the rotary belt mechanism 23 by a single dedicated motor, a transmission belt 24 is crossed between a pulley of the conveyor mechanism and a pulley 22 of the rotary belt mechanism 23. The transfer and the rotation belt mechanism 23 are driven in conjunction with the drive motor 14d of the transport conveyor mechanism. In this embodiment, the rotating belt mechanism 23
The belt 21 of the rotary belt mechanism 23 can be synchronously driven at the same speed as the conveyor belt 14 by using the motor 14d on the conveyor side without providing a dedicated drive motor for the motor.

Next, FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of a vertical transport guide adapted to cope with products of various sizes, large and small, and a slight disturbance in the transport attitude of the products. In this embodiment, the rotary belt mechanism 23 described in the embodiment of FIG. 10 is assembled together on an assembly board 25, and the assembly board 25 is configured so that the upper part thereof can swing on the shaft of the pulley 22. Hanging supported. A fixed stopper pin 27 is fitted into an arc-shaped long hole 26 opened at the lower part of the assembly board 25 to regulate the swing range of the assembly board 25, and the coil board 28 moves the assembly board 25 clockwise. That is, the spring of the rotary belt mechanism 23 is urged by a spring so that the stopper pin 27 comes into contact with the right end of the elongated hole 26.
The product passage width d corresponding to the minimum product size is set between the conveyor belt 21 and the conveyor belt 14.

With this configuration, when a large-sized product is conveyed, the rotating belt mechanism 23 is pushed by the product, and the assembly board 25 moves counterclockwise so as to increase the product passage width d around the upper fulcrum. Swings back. Thereby, a large-sized product can be guided without any trouble. Similarly, even when the product is conveyed while being slightly inclined, the rotary belt mechanism 23 is retracted, so that there is no risk of the product being jammed.

Note that the means for adjusting the width of the product passage can be applied to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. In addition, the assembly board 25 is not limited to the swing support system of the illustrated embodiment, but may be configured to support the assembly board 25 in a horizontally movable manner and to bias the spring from behind to the product passage. It is.

On the other hand, when the product take-out device 8 shown in each of the above-described embodiments is employed, the product 13 dropped and carried out of the product rack 3 is used.
A variety of transport troubles may occur during the process of transporting the product to the belt 14 of the transport conveyor or during the process of transporting the product to the product outlet 13 on the conveyor.

Here, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the following transport trouble often occurs during the transportation of the goods by the transport conveyor. That is, when the conveyor belt 14 is started before the goods 13 are carried out of the rack 3 during the selling operation, the goods 13 carried out of the rack 3 hit the moving belt 14 or the finger 14a and jump up on the belt, It is often the case that the transporting posture is disturbed to be the standing posture or the posture leaning on the finger 14a even in the actual operation. In addition, when the product conveyance attitude is disturbed, the conveyor belt changes from horizontal conveyance to vertical conveyance.
In the corner section 14, the product 13 is sandwiched between the product transport guide 11 and the finger 14a, so that the product is easily jammed, and when the product is jammed, the product cannot be transported, the motor lock of the drive motor 14d, etc. There is a risk of developing into trouble.

Therefore, as a countermeasure for the above-mentioned transport trouble, a new transport conveyor control method shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 12 to 15 will be described.

That is, in the operation control method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12, first, in the sales standby state, the finger-attached conveyor belt 14 shown in FIG.
Stop and wait at the position evacuated from the area. For this purpose, a finger detection switch 17 is disposed at the right end of the belt 14 as shown in FIG. 3, and when the finger detection switch 17 detects the finger 14a after the product sales operation is completed, the drive motor 14d is stopped and the conveyor belt 14 is stopped. Stop at that position and wait. On the other hand, at the time of sale, when the sales signal is turned on, the conveyor belt 14 is not immediately started, but is stopped until the product 13 carried out of the product rack 3 falls onto the belt, and the product is transferred onto the belt. Later, the drive motor 14d is energized to start the conveyor belt 14. The stop time at this time is set by a timer or the like in consideration of the time required for the product unloading operation from the product rack 7. Then, after the product 13 is lifted and conveyed to the product outlet 7 on the belt 14, the conveyance conveyor is stopped and controlled. In addition,
The stop control at this time is performed by a product detection switch 18 (see FIG. 3) installed in the product outlet 7 or a timer control.

In this way, during the selling operation, the fingers 14a of the conveyor belt 14 are retracted from the product unloading area, and by controlling the transport conveyor to stop until the products unloaded from the rack drop onto the belt, the product rack is controlled. The goods dropped and carried out are received on the belt in a stopped state. Therefore the moving belt
The product can be transported in a stable posture by preventing the product from jumping up and disturbing the transporting posture caused when the product is carried out onto the product 14.

Next, in the operation control method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13, when starting the transport conveyor subsequent to unloading of the goods from the rack, the belt 14 of the transport conveyor is temporarily reversed,
Thereafter, the control is switched to the normal rotation so that the product 13 is conveyed to the product outlet 7. With this control, even if the product carried out of the rack rises on the belt, the product that has been raised by the reverse operation of the transport conveyor belt falls down to a normal transporting posture (inverted posture). As a result, the product can be transported correctly by the subsequent forward rotation operation, and the occurrence of transport troubles such as the product getting caught on the transport guide 15 at the corner can be avoided. The forward / reverse control of the conveyor belt is performed by switching the rotation of the drive motor 14d shown in FIG.

Further, in the operation control method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14, the product conveyed from the product rack is monitored by the transport conveyor for the occurrence of product clogging while being conveyed toward the product outlet, and if the product is in When the product is jammed due to being caught between the conveyance guide and the like, the conveyor belt is temporarily reversely rotated, returned to the normal rotation, and then sent out to the product outlet. In addition,
The forward / reverse control of the conveyor belt is performed by switching the rotation of the belt drive motor in the same manner as described with reference to FIG.

In this way, it has been confirmed from the actual machine test results of the inventors that the jammed state of the product is released in most cases by returning the conveyor belt when the product jam occurs, and the product is returned to the normal conveyance posture. . The occurrence of product blockage can be monitored using the finger detection switch 17 described above. That is, if the conveyor belt 14 moves normally, the fingers 14a repeatedly pass the detection switch 17 at a certain timing, but if the product is jammed in the course of transport and the conveyor is locked,
No repeated passage of the finger is detected. Therefore, by counting the number of times of operation of the finger detection switch 17 at a constant cycle, it is possible to detect and determine the occurrence of the product clogging. Further, the reverse rotation time of the conveyor belt may be extremely short, and this time is set by a timer.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart which further embodies the operation control method of the conveyor. That is, when the sale signal is turned on, it is confirmed that the product has been carried out of the rack, the transport conveyor is started, and the time required for transporting the product to reach the product exit during normal transport is multiplied by the safety factor ( (For example, 5 seconds), the product outlet 7
It is determined whether or not the product detection switch 18 (see FIG. 3) provided at the entrance of the product is operating. If the switch 18 detects and operates the removal of the product 13, a normal product removal operation has been performed. And temporarily stop the conveyor. If the product detection switch 18 remains inactive even after the lapse of the time (5 seconds), it is determined that a trouble such as a product clogging has occurred in the middle of the transport path, and the transport conveyor is immediately stopped. Stop selling vending machines after stopping.

On the other hand, when the product is normally taken out and the switch 18 detects that the product is carried out, the transport conveyor that has been stopped is restarted, and the finger detection switch 17 (FIG. 3) installed at the terminal position of the transport conveyor is restarted. ) Detects the fingers 14a of the conveyor belt 14, the conveyor is stopped at this position and the product is on standby for sale. If the finger detection switch 17 does not operate even after a preset finger detection time (for example, one second) elapses in this process, the conveyor may not operate normally due to lock of the drive motor 14a or the like. Assuming that a trouble has occurred, it is determined to be a failure, and the conveyor is immediately stopped in the same manner as described above, and then the vending machine is stopped selling.

In addition, FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG.
By appropriately combining and implementing the control methods described in the drawings, the reliability with respect to the prevention of transport troubles is further improved. Even if these control methods are applied to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained.

〔The invention's effect〕

Since the product take-out device of the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Commodities delivered to different positions from various product racks arranged in the warehouse arranged side by side on the left and right follow the same transport path passing through the horizontal and vertical transport paths of the transport conveyor, and are located at one location above Can be sent to the product exit provided in
It can easily cope with large-scale vending machines with product racks juxtaposed in the warehouse. Also, by simply providing a common product outlet at one location in the upper part of the front of the cabinet, products taken out of each product rack can be intensively taken out, and serviceability to customers can be improved.

(2) The product take-out device is configured as a continuous transport conveyor in which an endless belt with fingers is bent and laid in an L-shape, so that the products delivered from each product rack are continuously transported by one transport conveyor. Since the product is sent to the product outlet, the product take-out mechanism is simplified, and it is possible to cope with continuous sales.

(3) In addition to the product take-out device employing the continuous conveyance conveyor described in the preceding paragraph, the provision of an arc-shaped product conveyance guide at the inner peripheral corner of the conveyor belt prevents interference between the product and the belt guide rollers. It is possible to pass through corners while avoiding.

(4) By adding a passage width adjusting means to a vertical conveyance guide of a product which is disposed along a vertical product conveyance path and opposed to a conveyance conveyor belt across a product passage, it is possible to cope with products of various sizes.

(5) On the other hand, with regard to the operation of the above-mentioned conveyor, the fingers of the conveyor with fingers are retracted to a position outside the commodity falling area from the commodity rack in the sales standby state, and the goods are transported after the commodity is removed from the commodity rack during the selling operation. Operation control is performed to start the conveyor. During the sales operation,
The operation control is performed such that the feed conveyor is temporarily reversed immediately after starting, and then switched to forward rotation. In addition, these operation control methods can be used independently, such as monitoring the presence or absence of a product jam on the conveyor during the selling operation, and temporarily controlling the conveyor to reverse and returning to normal when the product jams. In addition, by adopting an appropriate combination, it is possible to prevent a transport trouble such as a product clogging from occurring and to smoothly deliver the product carried out of the rack to the product outlet.

Further, as described above, the fingers of the conveyor are retracted to a predetermined position in the standby state for sale, and the conveyor is started from the predetermined position at the time of the selling operation, so that the product is transferred from the sales command until the product is taken out to the product outlet. The product transport time can always be constant regardless of the unloading position from the product rack.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an internal mechanism of a vending machine showing the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of another embodiment, FIG. 4 and 5 are side and front sectional views showing the detailed structure of the product transport guide provided at the corner of the conveyor in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a detailed structural diagram of the product discharge guide, and FIGS. FIG. 11 is a structural view of an embodiment of a different vertical conveyance guide, and FIGS. 12 to 15 are flowcharts showing operation control systems of different conveyance conveyors. In the figure, 1: cabinet, 2: front door, 3: product rack, 6: product outlet, 7: product outlet, 8: product removal device, 9: horizontal conveyor, 10: vertical conveyor, 10a: finger, 13: Commodity, 14:
Endless belt of continuous conveyor, 14a: finger, 14c: guide roller, 14d: drive motor, 15: product transport guide, 16: product discharge guide, 17: finger detection switch, 18: product detection switch, 19: vertical transport Guide rollers for guides, 21: belt for vertical transport guide, 22: pulley, 23: rotating belt mechanism, 24: transmission belt, 25: assembly board for rotating belt mechanism, d: product passage width.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Akira Omori 1-1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazushige Nagata 1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 1 Inside Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Koji Kawakami 1-1, Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 1 Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Shozo Iwamoto 1, Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 1 Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuhiro Tsuruta 1-1, Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yukio Kimura 1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 1 Inside Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. JP-A-2-148294 (JP, A) JP-A-1-147481 (JP, U)

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine, which receives merchandise dropped and carried down from a plurality of merchandise racks arranged side by side in a warehouse and sends out the merchandise to a merchandise outlet provided above an outlet of the merchandise rack. A horizontal transport conveyor laid in front of and facing the outlet of each product rack, and a vertical transport conveyor connected between the horizontal transport conveyor and a product outlet positioned above and connected to the horizontal transport conveyor. A product pick-up device for a vending machine characterized in that during the vending operation, the lateral transport conveyor is temporarily reverse-rotated immediately after starting, and thereafter exercise-controlled to switch to the normal rotation. 2. A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine, which receives merchandise dropped and conveyed downward from a plurality of merchandise racks arranged side by side in a warehouse and sends out the merchandise to a merchandise outlet provided above an outlet of the merchandise rack. A horizontal transport conveyor laid in front of and facing the outlet of each product rack, and a vertical transport conveyor connected between the horizontal transport conveyor and a product outlet positioned above and connected to the horizontal transport conveyor. A product pick-up device for a vending machine, which monitors the presence or absence of a product jam on a transport conveyor during a selling operation, and temporarily switches the transport conveyor to reverse rotation and returns to normal rotation again when a product jam occurs. 3. A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine for receiving merchandise dropped and carried down from a plurality of merchandise racks arranged side by side in a warehouse and sending out the merchandise to a merchandise outlet provided above an outlet of the merchandise rack. A horizontal transport conveyor laid in front of and facing the outlet of each product rack, and a vertical transport conveyor connected between the horizontal transport conveyor and a product outlet positioned above and connected to the horizontal transport conveyor. Along the vertical transport path of the product, a vertical transport guide for the product is provided facing the transport conveyor belt across the product path, and the vertical transport guide reduces the width of the product path between the transport guide and the transport conveyor. A product take-out device for a vending machine, comprising a passage width adjusting means for variably adjusting according to a product size. 4. A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine for receiving merchandise dropped and carried down from a plurality of merchandise racks arranged in a horizontal direction in a warehouse and sending out the merchandise to a merchandise outlet provided above an outlet of the merchandise rack. And an endless belt with fingers is suspended between the pulley and the corner guide roller along the transport path between the outlet of each product rack and the product outlet located above, and is laid in an L-shape. An article pick-up device for a vending machine, wherein an arc-shaped article conveying guide for avoiding interference between a belt guide roller and a conveyed article is provided at an inner peripheral corner of an endless conveyor. 5. A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine, which receives merchandise dropped and carried down from a plurality of merchandise racks arranged in a horizontal direction in a warehouse and sends out the merchandise to a merchandise outlet provided above the outlet of the merchandise rack. And an endless belt with fingers is suspended between the pulley and the corner guide roller along the transport path between the outlet of each product rack and the product outlet located above, and is laid in an L-shape. Along the vertical transport path of the product, a vertical transport guide for the product is provided facing the transport conveyor belt across the product path, and the vertical transport guide reduces the width of the product path between the transport guide and the transport conveyor. A product take-out device for a vending machine, comprising a passage width adjusting means for variably adjusting according to a product size. 6. A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine, which receives merchandise dropped and carried down from a plurality of merchandise racks arranged in a horizontal direction in a warehouse and sends out the merchandise to a merchandise outlet provided above an outlet of the merchandise rack. And an endless belt with fingers is suspended between the pulley and the corner guide roller along the transport path between the outlet of each product rack and the product outlet located above, and is laid in an L-shape. A product take-out device for a vending machine characterized in that during a vending operation, the transport conveyor is temporarily reversely rotated immediately after starting, and thereafter operation is controlled to switch to normal rotation. 7. A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine, which receives merchandise dropped and carried down from a plurality of merchandise racks arranged in a horizontal direction in a warehouse and sends out the merchandise to a merchandise outlet provided above the outlet of the merchandise rack. And an endless belt with fingers is suspended between the pulley and the corner guide roller along the transport path between the outlet of each product rack and the product outlet located above, and is laid in an L-shape. A product pick-up device for a vending machine characterized in that it monitors the presence or absence of a product jam on the conveyor during a selling operation, and temporarily switches the conveyor to reverse rotation and normal again when a product jam occurs. 8. A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine for receiving merchandise dropped and carried down from a plurality of merchandise racks arranged in a horizontal direction in a warehouse and sending out the merchandise to a merchandise outlet provided above the outlet of the merchandise rack. And an endless belt with fingers is suspended between the pulley and the corner guide roller along the transport path between the outlet of each product rack and the product outlet located above, and is laid in an L-shape. In the standby state for sale, the fingers of the transfer conveyor with fingers are retracted to a position outside the area where the product falls from the product rack, and the operation control is performed during the selling operation to wait for the product to be discharged from the product rack and start the transport conveyor. Product take-out device for vending machines. 9. The product take-out device according to claim 8, further comprising a finger detector provided behind the area where the goods fall from the goods rack, opposite to the transfer conveyor with fingers, and re-starting the transfer conveyor after completion of the goods unloading operation. A merchandise take-out device for a vending machine, which starts and controls the operation so that the conveyor is stopped at a position where the finger is detected by the finger detector to be on standby.