JP3270957B2 - 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.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in order to prevent a vending machine from protruding off a road, it has been required to install a thin vending machine with a reduced depth.

In view of such a point, as shown in FIG.
A rotating shaft 103 is provided at the front end of the bottom plate 102 of the column 101 so that the rear portion is inclined downward.
A roller 104 is arranged on the lower surface of the cam plate 105, a cam plate 105 is provided so as to contact the roller 104, and a motor for rotating the cam plate 105 by a predetermined angle when a sales command signal is input in a standby state for sale is provided. A lower portion of the lever 106 is connected, and a pressing member 107 for supporting a second-stage product 112 placed on the bottom plate 102 is disposed in front of the bottom plate 102. The lower portion of the pressing member 107 is centered on the rotating shaft 103. Rotates and is connected to the upper part of the crank lever 106,
In the sales standby state, the bottom plate 102 is held in a horizontal state.
A vending machine 100 has been proposed in which the pressing member 107 rotates by 06 to press the second commodity 112 from the bottom.

In the vending machine 100, the rollers 104 on the bottom plate 102 are in
5 and the bottom plate 102 is held in a horizontal state, so that the products stacked on the bottom plate 102 do not fall.

Further, when a sales command signal is input to the motor in the standby state, the motor enters the sales state, and the cam plate 105 is rotated, whereby the crank lever 106 is operated, and the pressing member 107 is rotated. Presses the commodity 112 in the second row from the bottom, and the cam plate 105 rotates by a predetermined angle, so that the roller 104 placed on the
And the bottom plate 102 is inclined. Therefore, the commodity 111 at the bottom is dropped without dropping the commodity 112 at the second tier from below.

[0006]

The above-mentioned vending machine 10
In the case of 0, the bottom of the commodity 111
Slides down on the bottom plate 102 and falls into the product transport path 109 provided behind the column 101, but the inclination of the bottom plate 102 alone is not sufficient when the bottommost product 111 falls. Therefore, the falling posture of the product 111 does not become vertical even at the entrance of the product transport path 109,
The horizontal depth of the product 111 at that time is large.
Therefore, unless the depth dimension C of the product transport path 109 is increased, there is a problem that the lowermost product 111 is caught at the entrance of the product transport path 109 and is not properly discharged.

[0007] Therefore, the depth of the vending machine 100 itself is increased by that much, and it is not possible to sufficiently cope with the thinning of the vending machine.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a vending machine having a very small depth.

[0009]

The vending machine of the present invention comprises:
A plurality of products are stacked and stored in a column, and in a sales state, the rear portion of the bottom plate is inclined downward around a horizontal rotation axis provided at the front end of the bottom plate of the column, and the bottom product of the column falls. In addition, in a vending machine that supports a second-tier product from the bottom, an opening is provided in the bottom plate,
An inclined plate for placing a product on the upper surface of the opening is arranged, and a horizontal axis is provided at a rear end of the inclined plate so that a front portion of the inclined plate is rotated upward, and below the bottom plate. A rotation forcing unit is provided to press the inclined plate through the opening, and when the bottom plate is inclined in a sale state, the rotation forcing unit penetrates the opening to form a front portion of the inclined plate. Is rotated upward about the horizontal axis to drop the lowermost commodity.

[0010]

According to the vending machine of the present invention, the second stage product from the bottom of the column is supported in the selling state, and the rear portion of the bottom plate is inclined downward about the horizontal rotating shaft provided at the front end of the bottom plate. At this time, the rotation forcing part penetrates the opening of the bottom plate and presses the inclined plate to rotate the front part upward. Therefore, the lowermost product placed on the inclined plate is urged so that the front part rotates upward and is flipped off. Therefore, the bottom product has a large inclination angle when dropped,
The falling posture can be made vertical in a short time.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vending machine for cigarette T according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a column provided inside the main body of the vending machine, and a plurality of cigarettes T can be stored in the column 12 in a stacked state.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a vertical passage provided at the rear of the column 12, which is connected to a product outlet. The depth A of this passage is set slightly larger than the thickness B of the cigarette T in order to make the depth of the vending machine as small as possible.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a base provided on the column 12 and fixed to the main body 10. The table 13 has a motor 32
And a side wall 13b of the mounting portion 13a. Also, from the rear end of the table 13, the motor 32
, A motor upper cover plate 26 is provided facing obliquely upward.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a bottom plate of the column 12. Hinge portions 18 project from the front end of the bottom plate 16. The hinges 18, 18 have a horizontal rotating shaft 20 inserted therein. One end of the rotating shaft 20 is attached to the main body 10, and the other end is attached to the side wall 13 b of the base 13.

Reference numeral 36 denotes a rectangular hole penetrating the bottom plate 16.

Reference numeral 38 denotes a protruding plate which projects perpendicularly to the motor upper cover plate 26 from the upper end of the motor upper cover plate 26. The protruding plate 38 is provided so as to protrude from the hole 36 of the bottom plate 16 in a sales state described later.

Reference numeral 54 denotes an inclined plate provided on the upper surface of the bottom plate 16 so as to cover the hole 36 of the bottom plate 16. On the inclined plate 54, the cigarettes T are stacked and placed. The inclined plate 54 has a front wall 56 extending upward from a front end thereof so that the cigarette T does not fall forward.

Reference numerals 58 denote hinge portions 58, 58 projecting downward from the rear end of the inclined plate 54, and penetrate through elongated rectangular holes 62 provided at the rear of the bottom plate 16. The horizontal shaft 60 is inserted into the hinge portions 58, 58,
The front of the inclined plate 54 rotates clockwise in FIG. 2 around the horizontal axis 60. Both ends of the shaft 60 are attached to hinge portions 64, 64 extending downward from short sides of the elongated rectangular hole 62 of the bottom plate 16.

Reference numeral 66 denotes a circular small hole provided in the bottom plate 16. The small hole 66 is provided between the rectangular hole 36 from which the projecting plate 38 projects and the elongated rectangular hole 62 through which the hinge portions 58, 58 of the inclined plate 54 penetrate.

Reference numeral 68 denotes a projecting rod projecting downward from the lower surface of the inclined plate 54 and penetrating the small hole 66. Around the protruding rod 68, a first spring 70 made of a coil spring
Is mounted below the small hole 66, and the first spring 7
The upper end 70 a of the zero contacts the bottom plate 16 around the small hole 66. Further, a first spring 70 is provided at the lower end of the protruding rod 68.
A first spring support portion 72 for supporting a lower end portion 70b of the first spring is provided.

The first spring 70 urges the bottom plate 16 and the first spring support portion 72 so as to push them apart in the vertical direction, and always pulls the inclined plate 54 against the bottom plate 16. This is because when the bottom plate 16 is inclined to the lowest point and the projection plate 38 projects most from the rectangular hole 36, the front wall 56 of the inclined plate 54 is further rotated upward by its momentum, and This is so as not to come into contact with the tobacco T2 at the stage.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a roller provided below the bottom plate 16, which is rotatably mounted on a pair of roller support portions 24, 24 protruding from the lower surface of the bottom plate 16.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a disc-shaped cam plate disposed below the roller 22, and is provided with a fan-shaped notch 28a. The rotating shaft 30 of the cam plate 28 is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 32. In addition, the cam plate 28 has a projection 3
4 are provided.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a crank lever. The upper part of the crank lever 40 is attached to the rotation shaft 20 and rotates about this. A long hole 42 is provided in the lower part of the crank lever 40 along the longitudinal direction thereof,
The projection 34 of the cam plate 28 is engaged. Thus, when the cam plate 28 rotates, the crank lever 4
0 rotates around the rotation shaft 20. An extension 41 is provided from the upper end of the crank lever 40.

Reference numeral 44 denotes a microswitch provided below the rear portion of the bottom plate 16 and is fixed to the base 13. The microswitch 44 operates by contacting the lower end of the crank lever 40.

Reference numeral 46 denotes a pressing member disposed in front of the bottom plate 16. The lower end of the pressing member 46 is
, And rotates about this. A rubber 48 is attached to the upper end of the pressing member 46. The height of the rubber 48 is set to be substantially the same as the state in which the cigarettes T are stacked in two stages. Here, since there are various types of thickness of the tobacco, the most common multiple size is set for the majority of the thickness, and an adapter (not shown) which is out of the range may be prepared and corresponded.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a second spring formed of a torsion coil spring mounted around the rotation shaft 20. One end 50 a of the second spring 50 is attached to the extension 41 of the crank lever 40, and the other end 50 b is attached to the lower part of the pressing member 46. Then, the second spring 50 urges the upper portion of the pressing member 46 to rotate backward.
This operation state will be described later.

Reference numeral 52 denotes a third spring formed of a return coil spring attached to the rotating shaft 20. The third spring is provided between the front wall 10a of the main body 10 and the front end of the bottom plate 16, and constantly biases the rear portion of the bottom plate 16 downward (see FIG. 8).

Reference numeral 53 denotes a prevention plate made of a film suspended from the rear wall 12a of the column 12. This prevents the lowermost tobacco T1 from dropping rearward in the sales standby state.

An operation state of the vending machine 10 having the above configuration will be described.

(1) Sales Standby State (See FIG. 2) In this state, the roller 22
Are mounted, and the bottom plate 16 and the inclined plate 5 on the upper surface thereof
4 is located in a substantially horizontal state. Further, the crank lever 40 is in an OFF state in contact with the micro switch 44.

(2) Sales state (see FIG. 3) When a sales command signal is input to the motor 32, the motor 32 rotates the cam plate 28 clockwise.

When the cam plate 28 rotates, the crank lever 40 rotates about the rotation shaft 20. Then, the lower end portion that has been in contact with the microswitch 44 is separated from that position and is turned on. When the crank lever 40 rotates downward, one end 50a of the second spring 50 is pressed downward, and at the same time, the other end 50a of the second spring 50 is pressed.
b also starts to rotate backward. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, while the rotation angle is θ1, the one end 50a rotates without attracting the other end 50b, but as shown in FIG.
When the angle θ2 becomes one or more, the urging force acts, and the other end 5.
0b inclines the pressing member 46 backward. Pressing member 46
Is inclined backward, the rubber 48 hits the tobacco T2 placed on the second stage from the bottom of the column 12, and the tobacco T2 is pressed against the rear wall 12a of the column 12.

When the cam plate 28 rotates while performing the above state, the roller 22 rotates along the outer peripheral portion of the cam plate 28 and starts to fall into the notch 28a of the cam plate 28. Then, the bottom plate 16 starts to be inclined integrally with the inclined plate 54. At this time, the lowermost cigarette T1 starts to slide on the inclined plate 54.

Further, as the bottom plate 16 is inclined,
The protruding plate 38 projects from the rectangular hole 36 of the bottom plate 16 and hits the inclined plate 54. The inclined plate 54 rotates upward about the horizontal shaft 60 against the urging force of the first spring 70. As a result, the lowermost tobacco T1 is urged so that its front portion rotates upward and is flipped off, and the inclination angle at the time of falling is increased (the state of the tobacco T10 in FIG. 3). for that reason,
The tobacco T10 changes its posture in the vertical direction (the state of the tobacco T11 in FIG. 3), and falls down the passage. Thereby, even if the width A of the passage 14 is narrow, the tobacco T11 can slide down into the passage 14.

When the inclined plate 54 exceeds the rotation angle α due to the projection of the protruding plate 38 at the lowest point of the bottom plate 16, the first spring 70 biases the inclined plate 54 to the bottom plate 16. Does not rotate.

When the cam plate 28 further rotates, the bottom plate 16 returns to the horizontal position. At that time, a rectangular hole 36
The protruding plate 38 which has protruded to the bottom plate 16 is retracted,
The inclined plate 54 pivots downward toward the bottom plate 16 by its own weight and the urging force of the first spring 70, and returns onto the bottom plate 16 (return to the state of FIG. 2).

When the bottom plate 16 returns to the horizontal state together with the inclined plate 54, the crank lever 40 also rotates, and
The pressing member 46 releases the pressed state of the second cigarette T2. Therefore, on the inclined plate 54 that has returned to the horizontal state,
The second stage tobacco T2 falls. Further, the crank lever 40 comes into contact with the micro switch 44 to be turned off, and the motor 32 stops. This returns to the sales standby state.

As described above, in the vending machine 10 of the present embodiment, the second stage tobacco T2 is pressed so as not to fall, and the projection plate 38 is formed into a rectangular hole in the bottom plate 16 by the inclination of the bottom plate 16. 36, the lowermost tobacco T1
Is rotated upward, so that the lowermost cigarette T1 is urged so that its front part rotates upward and is flipped off, and the inclination angle when falling is large. Become.

Therefore, the lowermost tobacco T1 can be obtained in a short time.
Can be set in the vertical direction. In other words, before the tobacco T1 falls to the entrance of the passage 14 for transporting tobacco, the falling posture can be set to the vertical direction.
The width A of the passage 14 can be reduced to a level slightly larger than the thickness B of the cigarette T1. As described above, the depth of the vending machine 10 can be reduced.

In the present invention, the means for inclining the bottom plate 16 is not limited to the cam plate 28 of this embodiment, and various known means may be used.

Further, in the present invention, the above-mentioned commodity discharging device may be provided in a vending machine with its front and rear reversed. That is, the front portion of the bottom plate 16 is inclined downward, and the horizontal axis 60 is provided at the front end of the inclined plate 54 so that the inclined plate 5
4 so that the rear part rotates upward,
2 may be dropped into the product transport passage 14 provided in front of the product 2.

[0044]

According to the vending machine of the present invention, when the rear portion of the bottom plate is inclined downward, the front portion of the inclined plate on the bottom plate is rotated upward, and the lowermost stage mounted on the inclined plate is rotated. The product in the bottom row has a large inclination angle when falling, and the vertical position of the product can be reduced in a short time. it can.

Therefore, even if the depth dimension of the commodity transport path is slightly larger than the thickness of the commodity, the commodity can be dropped on the commodity transport path and the commodity is carried out. This allows
By reducing the depth dimension of the product transport path, the depth of the vending machine can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a product carry-out portion showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a product carry-out portion in a sales standby state.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a product carry-out portion in a sales state.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a product carry-out portion in a sales standby state.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a product carry-out portion in a sales standby state.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of a main part of a rotary shaft in a sales standby state.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of a main part of the rotating shaft in a sales state.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of a main part of a third spring in a sales standby state.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a conventional product carry-out portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Vending machine 12 Column 16 Bottom plate 20 Rotating shaft 36 Rectangular hole 38 in bottom plate 16 Projection plate 54 Inclined plate 60 Horizontal end of inclined plate 57 axis

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07F 11/24 G07F 9/10

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of products are stacked and stored in a column,
In the selling state, the rear part of the bottom plate is inclined downward about a horizontal rotation axis provided at the front end of the bottom plate of the column, and the lowermost product of the column is dropped, and the second product from the bottom is removed. In the vending machine to be supported, an opening is provided in the bottom plate, an inclined plate on which an article is placed is provided on an upper surface of the opening, and a horizontal axis is provided at a rear end of the inclined plate and in front of the inclined plate A rotation forcing part that rotates upward, and that presses the inclined plate through the opening below the bottom plate, the rotation forcing unit when the bottom plate inclines in a sales state. A vending machine which penetrates through the opening, rotates the front portion of the inclined plate upward about the horizontal axis, and drops the lowermost commodity.