JP3446526B2 - Vending machine product storage device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product storage device for an automatic vending machine, such as an automatic vending machine in which actually sold products can be visually recognized from the outside, for storing a large number of products arranged in a horizontal direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, FIG.
Those shown in are known. In this product storage device 70, product racks 72 are arranged in a plurality of rows (only one row is shown) on the left and right, with the upper and lower eight stages as one row. In each product rack 72, a large number of products S of the same type are accommodated in a product passage (not shown) formed inside the product rack 72 so as to be horizontally aligned in the front-rear direction. Also, each product rack 7
Reference numeral 2 denotes a pull-out position (a position indicated by a symbol C in the drawing) which is placed on the shelf 73 and pulled out forward, and a predetermined storage position (indicated by a symbol A in the drawing) stored in the commodity storage 71. position)
It is configured to be movable between and. Further, when the product rack 72 is in the storage position, the stopper 72a and the drive mechanism (not shown) are connected, and the drive mechanism is the stopper 72a.
Since it is possible to rotate the product S to a position where the product S is dispensed, the product S can be put into a state in which the product S can be sold.

In the space in front of the product rack 72 of the product storage 71, there is provided a product elevator 74 which is movable from near the ceiling of the product storage 71 to near the product shutter (not shown) at the bottom. During the sale operation of the product S, the drive mechanism rotates the stopper 72a of the product rack 72 to move the product S at the foremost position from the product passage onto the mounting plate 74a of the corresponding product elevator 74, The product is conveyed to a product outlet (not shown) via the product shutter. When the stopper 72a rotates,
The rotational position of the stopper 72a is detected by a sensor (not shown), and the drive mechanism drives the stopper 72a based on the detection output of this sensor.

In the commodity storage device 70, when the commodity S is loaded, first, the commodity rack 72 at the storage position is pulled out as shown by the symbol B in the drawing. After that, by loosening the force holding the product rack 72, the front end of the product rack 72 is rotated downward, and is held in the pulled-out position in a state of being inclined as indicated by the symbol C in the drawing. In this state, after the product S is stored, the operation opposite to the case where the product S is pulled out is executed to return the product rack 72 to the storage position, and the loading operation is completed.

[0005]

In the above-described conventional product storage device, since the product rack 72 is not located at the predetermined storage position during the product sales operation, the normal sales operation is not performed, and the product is sold. May cause problems. For example, when the product rack 72 is pushed to a predetermined storage position after the loading work is finished, and when the product rack 72 is stopped a little before the storage position, the drive mechanism and the stopper 72a are not connected, so that the product rack 72 cannot be driven. , The product S may not be sold. Further, during operation of the product elevator 74, the placing plate 74a may hit the front end portion of the product rack 72, which may hinder the operation of the product elevator 74.

As a method for solving such a problem, for example, it is possible to attach a sensor for detecting whether or not the product rack 72 is at a predetermined storage position. However, in this method, it is necessary to add sensors for the number of product racks 72, which requires extra parts, resulting in an increase in cost. Further, as another solution, when the product rack 72 is pushed to a predetermined storage position, the product rack 72 may be fixed at that position by a mechanical structure. For example, it is considered that when the shelf 73 is provided with a taper and the product rack 72 is forcibly pushed to a predetermined storage position while resisting the taper, the product rack 72 is locked by being hooked on a hook or the like of the shelf 73. To be However, with such a method, since it is a mechanical structure, it is difficult to achieve the required positioning accuracy, it is not possible to confirm that it is in the storage position, and the structure becomes complicated and the cost increases.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is possible to reliably detect whether or not a product rack is at a predetermined storage position where a product can be sold without increasing the cost. An object is to provide a product storage device for a vending machine.

[0008]

According to the article storage device of the vending machine of claim 1, there is a product passage for storing a large number of products arranged horizontally in the front-rear direction and the front-rear direction is provided in the main body of the vending machine. A product rack that can be moved and pulled out and that can sell products when stored in a predetermined storage position in the vending machine body, and a locking device that locks the products by facing the product passage A stopper that is movable between the position and the dispensing position where the product is dispensed by retreating from the product passage, and is provided inside the vending machine body, the stopper is at the locking position, and the product rack has a predetermined position. And a sensor that outputs the detection signal when in the storage position.

According to the commodity storage device of this vending machine,
When the product rack is pulled out from the vending machine body and then stored in the vending machine body, when the sensor has the stopper in the locking position and the product rack is in the predetermined storage position, Detect the detection signal. That is, this sensor has both the function of detecting whether the stopper is in the locking position and the function of detecting whether the product rack is in the predetermined storage position. The function of detecting whether the stopper is in the locked position is a configuration originally necessary for controlling the sale operation of the product, and this sensor detects whether the product rack is in the predetermined storage position. By combining the functions, it is not necessary to provide one sensor separately. Particularly, when a large number of product racks are arranged in the vending machine, a sensor for detecting whether or not the product racks corresponding to the number of the product racks are in a predetermined storage position becomes unnecessary. By this, without inviting cost increase,
It is possible to detect whether or not the product rack is in a predetermined storage position where the product can be sold.

In the above description, the sensor is provided on the rear side of the commodity rack so as to be rotatable and movable back and forth. When the commodity rack is stored, the sensor is pushed by the rear surface of the commodity rack to move rearward and is connected to the stopper. A gear that moves the stopper by rotating and a switch that is arranged behind the gear and that operates by being pressed, and a gear rack that is formed at a predetermined position on the back of the gear and that stores the product rack at a predetermined storage position. And a cam that presses the switch when the stopper is in the locking position.

According to the commodity storage device of this vending machine,
When the product rack is stored up to a predetermined storage position, the sensor gear is pushed by the product rack and moves rearward, and is connected to the stopper. After that, when the product rack is in the predetermined storage position and the stopper is in the locking position, the cam is formed at the predetermined position on the back surface of the gear to press the switch, thereby operating the switch. In this way, by the linear operation of storing the product rack in the predetermined storage position, the gear and the cam linearly move rearward to activate the switch, and as a result, the stopper is in the locking position,
Moreover, since it is possible to detect that the product rack is at a predetermined position, it is possible to reliably perform the detection operation. Furthermore, since the gear that transmits the driving force for moving the stopper to the stopper constitutes a part of the sensor, the position of the stopper can be detected more reliably.

Further, in the above, it is preferable to further include a notifying means for notifying that the product rack is not in a predetermined storage position based on the detection result of the sensor.

According to the commodity storage device of this vending machine,
When the product rack is not at the predetermined position based on the detection result of the sensor, the notification means notifies that fact, so that the operator can automatically know that the product rack is not at the predetermined position. As a result, it is possible to prevent the situation in which the product selling operation of the product storage device is hindered.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the accompanying drawings,
A product storage device of an automatic vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the product storage device 1 according to the present embodiment is a so-called see-through type vending machine 2 in which actually sold products such as canned juice and packed drinking water can be visually recognized from the outside. The vending machine 2 includes a vending machine body 3 and a main door 4 attached to the front surface of the vending machine body 3. A cash insertion unit 4a is provided on the front surface of the main door 4, and when a user purchases a product, the user inserts cash into the cash insertion unit 4a and presses a product selection button 4b to select a desired product S. It can be taken out from the product take-out port 4c. In addition, each product S has a main door 4
Is visible through the front window 4d and the transparent heat-insulating door (not shown) that constitute the product display.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the product storage 3a of the vending machine body 3, the product racks 10 are vertically arranged in one row on the left and vertically arranged in two columns on the right. They are arranged in 8 rows above and below. Each product rack 10 is placed on a shelf 16 and is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, as will be described later. As shown in FIG. 4, in each product rack 10,
The product passages 11 are formed in two rows, and a large number of products S of the same type are stored in each of the product passages 11 in an upright state so as to be horizontally aligned in the front-rear direction. Further, in the space in front of the product rack 10 of the product storage 3a, two product elevators 6 that are movable from near the ceiling of the product storage 3a to near the bottom product shutter 3b are provided, and each product S is , The corresponding product elevator 6 that is paid out from the product passage 11 at the time of sale
After being placed on the placing plate 6a, the elevator 6 moves down to the vicinity of the product shutter 3b, and is carried out to the product take-out port 4c via the product shutter 3b.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the product rack 10 has two rollers R (see FIGS. 5 and 6) provided on the left and right side plate portions of each rack 16 of the rack 16.
It is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction by rolling in a, and is stored at a predetermined storage position (position indicated by symbol A in the figure) stored in the vending machine body 3 and at the time of loading. It is moved to and from a pull-out position (a position indicated by a symbol C in the drawing) that is pulled out forward.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, each product rack 10 is provided with a transparent stopper 12 so as to close the front surface of the product passage 11. This stopper 12 is a locking position (FIGS. 2 and 4) that locks the frontmost product S among the products S stored in each product passage 11 at that position.
Position) and the foremost product S from the front side of the vending machine 2 from the right side product passage 11 or the left side product passage 11 (left side delivery position). It is provided so as to be rotatable between the first position and the second position, and when the product is sold, it selectively rotates from the locking position to both dispensing positions. Further, at the front end of the partition wall 13 of the product rack 10, two dam plates 14 (only one of which is not shown in the figure) facing the respective product passages 11 are provided. Also rotates at the time of selling the product and projects into the product passage 11 to lock the next-sale product (the second product from the front) S.

Further, as shown in FIG.
A pusher 15 projecting downward from the bottom side is provided, and the pusher 15 extends in the front-rear direction from the last position (the position of the pusher 15 on the rightmost side in the figure) along a guide rail (not shown). , Is provided so as to be movable to the foremost position (position of the pusher 15 on the leftmost side in the drawing). The pushers 15 are arranged one by one at positions where the products S in the left and right product passages 11 can be pressed, and the products S housed in the product passage 11 by a biasing means (eg, spring) not shown. From the back, stopper 12
It is configured to be constantly pressed to the side.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the drive mechanism 2 is provided for each product rack 10 on the shelf frame 17 to which each shelf 16 is fixed.
0 is attached, and each drive mechanism 20 includes a motor 2
1, a speed reducer 22 that reduces the rotation of the motor 21, and a gear 24 to which the rotational force of the speed reducer 22 is transmitted via a gear mechanism 23. The gear 24 has a convex portion 24a protruding forward, and a groove 25 is formed on the front surface of the convex portion 24a. On the other hand, the drive shaft 29 is the product rack 10.
It extends back and forth in the partition wall 13, and its front end is connected to the stopper 12. A rear end portion 30 of the drive shaft 29 projects to the back surface of the product rack 10 and has a flat plate shape, and as shown in FIG. 6, when the product rack 10 is pushed to the storage position, the convex portion 24a of the convex portion 24a is formed. It fits in the groove 25. With this configuration, as the motor 21 rotates, its rotational force is transmitted through the speed reducer 22, the gear mechanism 23, and the gear 24, and the drive shaft 29 rotates, so that the stopper 12 rotates. Has become.

Further, at a predetermined position on the back surface of the gear 24,
As shown in FIG. 7, three first to third cams 26, 27, 28 protruding rearward are formed. Second cam 27
Is formed in a position rotated 90 ° clockwise with respect to the first cam 27, and the third cam 28 is formed in a position rotated 90 ° counterclockwise. The second cam 27 and the third cam 28 are located on the same arc, whereas the first cam 26 is located on an arc whose radius is considerably different from those of the first cam 26. In addition, at a predetermined position of the shelf frame 17, a first switch
The limit switch 31 and the second limit switch 32 are fixed. The first limit switch 31 is the first limit switch 31 when the product rack 10 is stored in the storage position and the gear 24 is in the home position (position shown in FIG. 7A) corresponding to the locking position of the stopper 12. When the cam 26 abuts, the cam 26 is turned on.

The second limit switch 32 has the product rack 10 stored in the storage position and the gear 24.
Is in the first rotation position (the position shown in FIG. 7B) corresponding to the left payout position of the stopper 12, the second cam 27 comes into contact with the stopper 12 to turn it on, and the product rack 10 is moved to the storage position. When the gear is stored and the gear 24 is in the second rotation position (not shown) corresponding to the right payout position of the stopper 12, the third cam 28 abuts,
Turns on. When the gear 24 rotates from the home position to the first rotation position or the second rotation position, the second cam 27 and the third cam 28 are located on the circumference different from that of the first cam 26 as described above. Therefore, it does not come into contact with the first limit switch 31.

Further, the gear 24 is rotatably supported by the support shaft 33, and between the fitting position where the shaft 29 and the groove 25 shown in FIG. 6 are fitted, and the open position shown in FIG. It can be moved back and forth. The limit switch 31 includes an operating arm 31a, and this operating arm 31a is shown in FIG.
The output is in the off state when in the off operation position shown in (a), and the output is in the on state when in the on operation position shown in FIG. 6 (a). Second limit switch 32
Also has a similar actuating arm 32a (FIG. 7). The operating arm 31a is provided in the limit switch 31 in a normally biased state to the off position side, and when the product rack 10 is pulled out, the biasing force causes the gear 24 to move.
Is configured to move to the open position.
As a result, when the product rack 10 is pulled out, the gear 24 for turning off the first limit switch 31 is provided.
Since there is no need to move the above to the open position,
Cost can be reduced.

The first limit switch 31, the gear 24 and the first cam 26 are the same as the first limit switch 31.
By utilizing the change in output due to the operation of, the sensor 18 for detecting whether or not the product rack 10 is at the storage position and whether or not the stopper 12 is at the locking position is configured. A control device such as a microcomputer (not shown) is the sensor 1
The detection signal of 8, that is, the output change of the first limit switch 31 is constantly monitored, and when the gear 24 is in the home position and not in the sales operation but in the sales standby state,
When the output of the first limit switch 31 is turned off (for example, when the product rack 10 is pulled out), the product rack 10 is not in the storage position by blinking all the product selection buttons 4b as the notification means. To
Notify the operator who is working.

The operation of paying out the product S in the product storage device 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 7A, in the sales standby state,
Since the stopper 12 is in the locking position and the gear 24 is in the home position, the first cam 26 abuts on the actuating arm 31a of the first limit switch 31 and its output is in the ON state. When the product selection button 4b is pressed and the sales signal of the product S is input, the control device rotates the motor 21 and rotates the gear 24 via the speed reducer 22 and the gear mechanism 23. For example, the product S sold this time is
When stored in the product passage 11 on the left side, the control device rotates the gear 24 by 90 ° from the home position to the first rotation position, as shown in FIG. 7B. Gear 24
Is rotated to the first rotation position, the operating arm 32a of the second limit switch 32 and the second cam 27 come into contact with each other, so that the output of the second limit switch 32 changes to ON, and the control device that detects this change Stops the motor 21. At this time, the third cam 28 comes close to the first limit switch 31, but as described above, the radius of the moving arc is considerably different from the radius of the moving arc of the first cam 26. The operation arm 31a of 31 does not come into contact with the operation arm 31a and does not interfere with its operation.
After the lapse of a predetermined time, the control device determines that the product S has been sold, rotates the gear 24 in the reverse direction to the home position, and returns to the sales standby state.

Next, the operation of loading the product S in the product storage device 1 of the present invention configured as described above will be described. When the product rack 10 is stored in the storage position (the position indicated by reference symbol A in FIG. 3) in the vending machine body 3 and is in the sale standby state, the stopper 12 of the product rack 10 operates as shown in FIG. It is in the stop position. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7B, the gear 24 is at the home position, and the rear end portion 30 of the drive shaft 29 is fitted into the groove 25 of the gear 24 as shown in FIG. By pushing 24 backward, the operating arm 31 a is pushed backward by the first cam 26, and the first limit switch 31
Output is in the on state. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5, when the product rack 10 is pulled out forward, the rear end portion 30 and the groove 25 are disengaged and the gear 24 is pushed by the operating arm 31a, as shown in FIG. Move to the open position. At this time, the output of the first limit switch 31 changes from the on-state to the off-state, so the control device detects this and blinks the all-product selection button 4b, and the product rack 10
Informs the operator that is not in the storage position.

After pulling out the product rack 10 to the pull-out position shown by reference character C in FIG. 3, the product S is replenished. When the replenishment is completed, the product rack 10 is pushed to the storage position indicated by the symbol A. In this case, contrary to the case where the product rack 10 is pulled out, the rear end portion 30 of the drive shaft 29 is fitted into the groove 25, the gear 24 moves rearward, and the first cam 26 comes into contact with the operation arm 31a. , The output of the first limit switch 31 is turned on. When the outputs of all the first limit switches 31 are in the ON state when all the product racks 10 are stored in the storage position, the control device detects this and
The blinking of all the commodity selection buttons 4b is stopped, and the operator is informed that all the commodity racks 10 have been normally stored in the storage positions. If even one of the outputs of the first limit switch 31 remains off, the all-commodity selection button 4b flashes, and the operator is informed that all the commodity racks 10 have not been normally stored in the storage positions. Notify me.

As described above, the sensor 18 including the gear 24, the first limit switch 31 and the first cam 26 is
Originally, for controlling the selling operation, that is, the stopper 12
For controlling the rotation of the product rack 10. This has both the function of detecting whether the product rack 10 is stored in the storage position and the function of detecting whether the stopper 12 is in the locking position. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a sensor separately from this, and the cost does not increase. Also,
When the product rack 10 is stored in the vending machine body 3, the gear 24, the first limit switch 31, and the first limit switch 31 are moved.
Since the above detection can be performed with a simple configuration in which the cam 26 linearly moves rearward, the detection operation can be reliably performed. Further, since the gear 24 that constitutes a part of the sensor 18 also serves as the gear 24 that transmits the driving force from the drive mechanism 20 to the stopper 12, the position of the stopper 12 can be reliably detected.

The operating arm 31a is always urged to the off position side, and when the product rack 10 is pulled out, the urging force pushes and moves the gear 24 to the open position. Since the output of the first limit switch 31 is turned off when it is pulled out, the configuration for moving the gear 24 to the open position is not necessary, and the cost can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the sensor is configured by using the gear, the cam and the limit switch, but the invention is not limited to this, and the sensor may be configured by using a photo sensor or the like, and the product rack is stored. It suffices to have both the function of detecting whether the stopper is stored at the position and the function of detecting whether the stopper is at the locking position. Also, as the notification means for notifying that the product rack is not in the storage position, all the product selection buttons are made to blink,
The present invention is not limited to this, and an alarm lamp, a buzzer, or the like may be used as long as it can inform the operator that the product rack is not in the storage position.

[0030]

As described above, according to the product storage device of the vending machine of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether or not the product rack is at the predetermined storage position where the product can be sold without increasing the cost. Can be reliably detected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an automatic vending machine to which a product storage device for an automatic vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a front door of the vending machine is opened.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a storage state of a product rack.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a storage state of a product rack.

5A and 5B are a plan view and a side sectional view showing a state in which a product rack is not stored in a storage position.

6A and 6B are a plan view and a side sectional view, respectively, showing a state in which a product rack is stored at a storage position.

FIG. 7 is a rear view for explaining the operation of the sensor.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a product storage device of a conventional vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 Vending machine product storage device 2 vending machines 3 Vending machine body 4b Product selection button (informing means) 10 product racks 11 product passage 12 stopper 18 sensors 20 Drive mechanism 24 gears 26 First Cam (Cam) 31 1st limit switch (switch) S product

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A product passage for storing a large number of products arranged horizontally in the front-rear direction, the product passage being provided in the main body of the vending machine so as to be movable in the front-rear direction and freely drawn out, and a predetermined inside the main body of the vending machine. When stored in the storage position, a product rack that can sell the product, a locking position that locks the product by facing the product passage, and a product rack that is retracted from the product passage to store the product. A stopper movable between a payout position for paying out, provided in the vending machine body, when the stopper is at the locking position, and the product rack is at the predetermined storage position, A product storage device for a vending machine, comprising: a sensor that outputs a detection signal. 2. The sensor is provided on the rear side of the commodity rack so as to be rotatable and movable back and forth, and when the commodity rack is stored, the sensor is pushed by the rear surface of the commodity rack to move rearward, A gear that is coupled to the stopper and that rotates to move the stopper, a switch that is disposed behind the gear and that operates by being pressed, and a gear that is formed at a predetermined position on the rear surface of the gear, The vending machine product according to claim 1, further comprising: a cam that presses the switch when the product rack is in the predetermined storage position and the stopper is in the locking position. Storage device. 3. The vending machine product according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying unit for notifying that the product rack is not in the predetermined storage position based on a detection result of the sensor. Storage device.