JP3465602B2 - Vending machine product delivery device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is an automatic delivery system for delivering products stored in a product rack extending in the front-rear direction from a delivery port at the front end of the product rack at the time of sale and delivering the products to a product delivery means located in front of the product rack. The present invention relates to a product dispenser for a vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, most of the front of a vending machine is made of a transparent panel, and the product itself stored inside is used as a display, so that the purchaser can see the sales operation of the product. See-through type vending machines have been developed. Such a vending machine generally extends horizontally in the front-rear direction and stores a plurality of product racks in a row, and is provided in front of these product racks, and is dispensed from a dispensing port of the product rack. A product unloading device for unloading the product to the product outlet.

In each product rack, there is provided a pusher for moving the entire product forward by moving a predetermined amount at the time of sale so that the product located at the forefront is discharged and delivered to the product unloading device. . Gears (a front gear and a rear gear) are provided at the front end portion and the rear end portion of the product rack, and the pusher is connected to a timing belt wound around these gears. Therefore, the timing belt rotates as the gear rotates, which causes the pusher to move forward to dispense the product. In addition, at the front end of the product rack, there is a gate that opens and closes the dispensing port to prevent the foremost product from being dispensed from the product rack carelessly. The gate opens the payout opening by pushing from the front side to the rear side.

On the other hand, the product unloading device has a bucket for unloading the product delivered from the product rack, and at the time of sale, this bucket moves to the delivery port of the product rack containing the selected product. Receive the goods, then
Move to the product outlet and carry out the product. The bucket includes a bucket body that temporarily stores and holds the dispensed product, and a drive mechanism that drives the pusher and the gate to dispense the product into the bucket.
This drive mechanism includes a motor that can rotate in forward and reverse directions, a male screw portion that extends in the front-rear direction, is rotated by the motor, and a guide plate that engages with the male screw portion and that moves in the front-rear direction as the male screw portion rotates. , A lever pusher which is provided on the guide plate and presses the release lever according to the movement of the guide plate, a drive gear which engages with the front gear and rotates the gear, and whether or not the bucket receives the product. A product detection sensor for stopping the rotation of the drive gear when the product is detected. That is,
By the cooperation of the drive mechanism provided on the bucket side and the driven mechanism provided on the product rack side, the front gear, the rear gear, the timing belt, the release lever, and the like,
Drive the pusher and gate to dispense the products in the product rack.

Now, the delivery of products by the product delivery device having the drive mechanism and the driven mechanism will be described in detail. First, after the bucket moves to the dispensing port of the product rack that stores the selected product and stops, the male screw part rotates forward and the guide plate moves to the product rack side. By the movement of the guide plate, the lever pusher presses the opening lever to drive the gate and open the payout opening. Further, in this case, the drive gear meshes with the front gear almost simultaneously with the pressing of the lever pusher. When the drive gear rotates, the front gear on the side of the product rack also rotates accordingly, and the pusher moves forward via the timing belt. Then, the product located at the forefront falls to the bucket side and is paid out when the center of gravity in the front-rear direction comes out from the front end (payout port) of the product rack. When the product detection sensor detects that the bucket (bucket body) has received the product, the drive gear stops,
Along with this, the movement of the pusher also stops. After that, the male screw part rotates in the reverse direction, and accordingly, the guide plate moves away from the product rack. As a result, the pressing of the release lever by the lever pusher is released, the payout opening is closed by the gate, and the drive gear separates from the front gear.

[0006]

In the above-described product dispensing device, when the product is handed over to the bucket while falling, the rotation of the drive gear immediately stops, and the movement of the pusher also stops accordingly. For this reason, the amount of movement of the pusher varies depending on the thickness of the product in the front-rear direction, and the position of the frontmost display product (next-sale product) after the product is paid out varies depending on the product. In other words, in a product rack that stores products with a small thickness, the products will be located near the gate of the product rack, but in a product rack that contains products with a large thickness, it will be located far from the gate. The product will be located. Therefore, for example, a plurality of product racks are provided in the vertical direction,
When a product rack having a large thickness is stored in the product rack located on the lower stage side, the display product may deviate from the purchaser's eyes and the purchaser may misunderstand that the product is sold out. Even if such misunderstanding does not occur, if the display product is located away from the gate, the display effect will be weakened, and in addition, the purchaser may feel uneasy about the sale.

Of course, if the amount of pusher movement is set for each product rack in accordance with the products to be stored, it is possible to position the display products in each product rack near the gate. However, in the above-described product dispensing device, since the gate remains open during the movement of the pusher, if the pusher movement amount is set incorrectly,
For example, if the pusher movement amount is set to be larger than an appropriate amount, there is a possibility that two or more products will be paid out, or that display products will move to the position of the gate and the gate cannot be closed.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and it is possible to reliably move the next-sale product to the vicinity of the gate of the product rack regardless of the thickness of the product in the front-rear direction. An object of the present invention is to provide a product dispensing device for an automatic vending machine, which is capable of aligning the next-sale products of each product rack when there are a plurality of product racks.

[0009]

A product dispensing device for a vending machine according to the present invention is arranged such that the product located at the forefront among a plurality of products stored side by side in a product rack extending in the front-rear direction, A product dispensing device for a vending machine that dispenses from a dispensing port at the front end of the product rack at the time of sale and delivers it to a product unloading means located in front of the product rack, which is provided with a drive mechanism and a front end portion of the product rack. A mechanism that opens the payout opening at the time of payout by the mechanism and a gate that is closed by the drive mechanism and a drive mechanism that moves the entire product in the product rack to the front with the payout opening open, thereby positioning the product at the front Pay out,
After delivering the product to the product delivery means and closing the payout port, the product delivery means for delivering a predetermined amount of the entire product forward so that the front surface of the next sale product is located near the gate, and the predetermined amount of the product rack. Contact with and a delivery amount setting means for setting in advance according to the stored goods in
The drive mechanism includes a first motor capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions and a first motor
1 The motor is driven to rotate and the engagement cam groove and
A cam disc having a cam groove for heating the surface and a second motor.
And the cam disc rotates,
Therefore, it projects to the product rack side and is driven by the second motor.
Is driven to drive the product delivery means.
By further rotating the drive gear and the cam disc,
Follow the gate cam groove to project toward the product rack
And a projecting member to be driven .

According to this structure, at the time of sale, the drive mechanism first drives the gate to open the dispensing port of the product rack. Then, the drive mechanism drives the product delivery means to move the entire product in the product rack to the front, dispenses the foremost product (hereinafter, referred to as “foremost product”), and delivers the product to the product delivery means. After that, the payout opening is closed at the gate. Then, in this state, the entire product in the product rack is moved forward by a predetermined amount by the product delivery means. Specifically, the entire product is delivered so that the front surface of the next-sale product is located near the gate. Further, in this case, the predetermined delivery amount for delivering the entire product is preset by the delivery amount setting means in accordance with the product in the product rack. With the product dispensing device having the above configuration, for example, in a vending machine having a plurality of vertically arranged product racks, the front product stored in each product rack is located near the gate of the product rack. Become. Therefore, even with the product rack located on the lower side, the front product does not deviate from the purchaser's eyes and the purchaser does not misunderstand that the product is sold out. In addition, the display effect of the front product can be fully exerted, and in addition, the purchaser does not feel uneasy about the sale. Furthermore, by setting an appropriate delivery amount for each product rack, it is possible to position the next-sale product after the frontmost product has been dispensed at a predetermined position near the gate. In addition, the drive configured as described above
Drive mechanism to drive the gate and product delivery means
Do the following: That is, rotation of the first motor (normal rotation
When the cam disk rotates forward due to
Drive gear protrudes toward the product rack side according to the engagement cam groove.
Put out. After that, the cam disk rotates further forward,
The protruding member to the product rack side according to the gate cam groove.
The ejection gate is driven to open the payout opening. That
And rotate the feed drive gear by the second motor
By driving the product delivery means,
The first item of the item is delivered and delivered to the item delivery means. That
After that, the cam disk is rotated in reverse by the reverse rotation of the first motor.
By doing so, the protruding member that was protruding retracts and the gate
The outlet is closed by. And for the second motor
Therefore, rotate the delivery drive gear to move the entire product forward.
By sending out a predetermined amount, the next-sale product will be displayed in the product rack.
Move it near the door . After that, by the first motor
It was protruding by further rotating the cam disk in the reverse direction.
Move the feeding drive gear backward. Thus, the cam disc
The engagement cam groove and gate cam groove of a predetermined shape are formed on
Then, by rotating this cam disc, you can pay for the product.
At the time of taking out, the sending drive gear protrudes to the product rack side
After that, the payout opening is opened.
The front product is not prepared due to vibration etc.
Can prevent the goods from being paid out from the rack
It Also, with a single cam disc, gates and goods
Since the feeding means is driven, they are separated by a cam machine.
Reduce the number of parts compared to the case of performing with a structure
You can Furthermore, with the configuration as described above, a predetermined operation is performed.
It is possible to easily realize a driving mechanism for performing the operation.

The next-sale product is a product placed immediately after the front product in the products stored in the product rack, and becomes the front product after the front product is paid out. Say something.

In this case, a merchandise detection sensor for detecting that the merchandise located at the forefront is delivered to the merchandise carrying-out means,
Further, it is preferable to stop the driving of the product delivery means and close the payout opening based on the detection result of the product detection sensor.

According to this structure, when the frontmost product is dispensed and delivered to the product unloading means, this is detected by the product detection sensor, the driving of the product delivering means is stopped, and the dispensing port is closed. It In other words, when the front product is delivered, the drive of the product delivery means is stopped and the delivery port is closed, so that the next sale product is delivered together with the previous product (front product). , It is possible to prevent the next-sale product from blocking the closing of the gate.

In these cases, it is preferable that the drive mechanism is provided in the product unloading means.

According to this structure, even in a vending machine having a plurality of product racks, by operating only the drive mechanism common to these product racks, the product delivery means and gates of all the product racks can be operated. The drive can be controlled. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a control device for driving and controlling the product delivery means and the gate for each product rack, and an increase in the manufacturing cost of the product delivery device can be suppressed.

[0016]

[0017]

[0018]

[0019]

[0020]

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A commodity dispenser for an automatic vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an automatic vending machine equipped with the product dispensing device.

As shown in the figure, the vending machine 1 is
A box-shaped vending machine body 2 and a main door 3 that opens and closes the front surface thereof are provided. The main door 3 incorporates a transparent panel 4 corresponding to the size of the front surface of the product storage 7 to be described later, and the glass storage door 6 made of glass is provided on the front of the product storage 7. That is, the vending machine 1 is a so-called sheathle type in which the product itself stored in the product storage 7 is used as a display and the purchaser can see the sales operation of the product.

On the front surface of the main door 3, although not shown, a coin slot, an amount display section for displaying the amount of coins inserted, a return lever for returning coins, and a unit for taking out the returned coins. A coin return port and a selection button for selecting the product S are provided.
Further, at the lower part of the main door 3, there is provided a product outlet 5 for the purchaser to take out the product S.

Inside the vending machine body 2, a product storage 7 defined by a front glass heat insulating door 6 and a peripheral wall containing a heat insulating material 7a, and a front portion of the product storage 7, Product S
A product unloading device 8 for unloading the product to the product unloading port 5 and a control circuit (not shown) including a microcomputer for performing various controls in the vending machine body 2 including the product unloading device 8 are provided. The product storage 7 is slightly above the middle part in the vertical direction, and is partitioned into two upper and lower parts by a partition wall 9 having a heat insulating property and a passage partition wall 10 provided in front of the partition wall 9, and the upper part has a heating chamber 11, The lower side is the cooling chamber 12. Further, a carry-out opening 7b that allows the product S to pass through is formed in the lower part of the front surface of the product storage 7. The carry-out opening 7b is configured to be rotatable around the upper end portion and normally hangs down. To close the carry-out opening 7b, and when carrying out the product S, carry-out door 13 that is inclined downward to open the carry-out opening 7b.
Is provided. The carry-out door 13 is configured by two flat plates (an upper door 13a and a lower door 13b) being rotatably connected.

The heating chamber 11 is provided with a heater (not shown), and the inside of the heating chamber 11 is heated by the heater to produce the product S.
Is heating. On the other hand, in the cooling chamber 12, the cooling device 14
And a circulation fan (not shown) that circulates air in the cooling chamber 12 that constitutes a part of the
And are provided. Further, a condenser 15, an exhaust fan 16, a compressor 17, and the like, which form a part of the cooling device 14, are provided below the product storage 7, that is, in the lower part of the vending machine body 2. Then, the evaporator, the compressor 17, and the condenser 15 are sequentially connected by a refrigerant pipe (not shown). A cooling device 14 is configured by these, a circulation fan, an exhaust fan 16, and the like. The cooling device 14 is configured by the cooling device 14.
The inside of 2 is cooled to cool the product S.

Further, the heating chamber 11 and the cooling chamber 12 are
The product racks 18 are vertically arranged in three and four stages, and eight rows are arranged in each stage in the left-right direction. Each of the product racks 18 extends in the front-rear direction of the vending machine body 2 and is formed in a vertical section “U” shape with an open upper side. Products S of the same type are vertically placed and stored in a row. There is. Each of the product racks 18 has a vending machine body 2
It is configured so that it can be pulled out to the front side of, and the replenishment (loading) of products can be easily performed.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged front end of the product rack 18 when, for example, two products S are stored. In the following description, among the products S stored in the product rack 18, the product S located at the forefront is the “front product S1” and the product located at the end is the “last product S2”.
Say. The product rack 18 is provided with a payout mechanism 19 (product delivery means) for paying out the frontmost product S1 to the front. The pay-out mechanism 19 includes a pair of front and rear gears 21 (only the gear 21 at the front end (front gear) is shown in FIG. 2) provided at the front end and the rear end of the lower left part of the product rack 18. 21 is connected to the timing belt 22 and the timing belt 22 wound around 21
The pusher 23 that moves forward with the rotation of the timing belt 22 and moves the entire product S forward while pressing the back surface of the last product S2 forward, meshes with the gear 21 at the front end, and at the front end of the product rack 18. Outlet 18
The payout driven gear 24 provided in a state of projecting to the front side of a and the gate 25 provided at the front end of the product rack 18 and normally closing the payout port 18a and opening the payout port 18a when the product S is paid out. It has and.

The front gear 21 is composed of two stages, a large gear portion 21a which meshes with the payout driven gear 24 and a small gear portion 21b having a diameter smaller than that of the large gear portion 21a. The belt 22 is wrapped around. The gear at the rear end around which the timing belt 22 is wound is the small gear portion 21b of the front gear 21.
It has the same shape as.

The pusher 23 has an abutting portion 23a that abuts the rear surface of the last product S2 and a bottom portion 23b that is parallel to the bottom surface of the product rack 18, and has an outer shape of a substantially "L" shape. The contact portion 23a has a width that is substantially the same as the width in the left-right direction within the product rack 18, and is configured to reliably contact the back surface of the last product S2. On the other hand, on the bottom portion 23b,
A projecting portion 23c projecting downward is provided slightly forward of the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction. The projecting portion 23c projects below the bottom surface of the product rack 18 through a slit (not shown) formed in the bottom surface of the product rack 18 and extending in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the pusher 23 moves forward, the protrusion 23 c is always moved in a state of protruding below the bottom surface in the product rack 18.

As described above, the pay-out driven gear 24 slightly projects from the pay-out port 18a of the product rack 18, and is driven to rotate by the pay-out drive gear (feed-out drive gear) 141 of the drive mechanism 64, which will be described later. It has become so. Therefore, the payout driven gear 24
Is rotated, the front gear 21 is rotated, and the timing belt 22 is rotated, so that the pusher 23 is moved forward.

The gate 25 is for preventing the front product S1 from being inadvertently dispensed from the product rack 18 while waiting for sale. This gate 25 is a product rack 1
8 has a length approximately equal to the width in the left-right direction, and when it is closed, it lies substantially horizontally across the left and right ends of the product rack 18,
When opened, the gate main body 25a stands substantially vertically, the rotary shaft 25b provided on the back surface of the base end portion of the gate main body 25a and having a cam groove (not shown) formed on the surface, and an intermediate portion in the vertical direction. It is configured to be rotatable about the center, and is configured by a gate lever 25c that rotates while pushing the rotating shaft 25b forward at the upper end portion. The lower end of the gate lever 25c of the gate 25 is pressed by the drive mechanism 64 of the product unloading device 8 described later when the product S is paid out. As a result, the gate lever 25c rotates, and the upper end of the gate lever 25c presses the rotating shaft 25b to rotate the gate lever 25c by approximately 90 degrees. Along with this, the gate main body 25a that closes the payout opening 18a pivots to stand up and opens the payout opening 18a.

Further, below the front end of the product rack 18, there is provided an actuator 26 that presses a sold-out detection switch 70, which will be described later, when the last product S2 is dispensed. The actuator 26 includes a slide member 27 that is slidable along the front-rear direction of the product rack 18,
A spring 28 that biases the slide member 27 rearward is provided. The slide member 27 has a front end portion 27.
a, the rear end portion 27b, and the left and right end portions 27c are bent downward. Further, the rotary shaft of the front gear 21 penetrates through the through holes 27d formed in the both end portions 27c, 27c and extending horizontally in the front-rear direction, so that the slide member 27 can be smoothly guided in the front-rear direction. It has become.

Now, with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 7, the operation in the case where the products S stored in the product rack 18 are paid out to the front product unloading device 8 side will be described. First, the lower end of the gate lever 25c is pushed rearward by the drive mechanism 64, whereby the gate 25 is opened (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Next, when the delivery drive gear 24 is rotationally driven by the drive mechanism 64, the gear 21 and the timing belt 22 rotate accordingly, and the pusher 23 moves forward. By the movement of the pusher 23, the entire product is moved forward, and the frontmost product S1 is paid out forward from the payout opening 18a of the product rack 18. In this case, the product accommodation opening 6 of the bucket 31 of the product unloading device 8 described later.
2a (see FIGS. 9 and 10) lower edge portion (stage 7
Since the upper surface of 1) is located slightly lower than the bottom surface in the product rack 18, the frontmost product S1 is paid out while inclining to the front side, as shown in FIG. That is, when the center of gravity of the front product S1 moves forward of the front end of the product rack 18, the front product S1 is paid out while inclining to the front side.

The product detection sensor 89, which will be described later, of the product unloading device 8 sends the front product S1 to the product unloading device 8
When it is detected that the payout driven gear 24 has been delivered to the side, the drive mechanism 64 that rotationally drives the payout driven gear 24 stops. This also stops the movement of the pusher 23. In this case, since the pusher 23 is stopped at the same time as the foremost product S1 is dispensed, as described above, when the foremost product S1 is dispensed while inclining to the front side, it is stored immediately after the foremost product S1 and then sold. The product to be sold (the next product to be sold) (the final product S2 in this example) stops behind the gate 25, as shown in FIG. After that, the pressing of the gate lever 25c by the drive mechanism 64 is released, and the gate 25 is closed (see FIG. 4).

Thereafter, the drive mechanism 64 again drives the payout driven gear 24 to rotate for a predetermined time (several seconds), and the pusher 23 moves forward by a predetermined amount. As a result, the final product S2 is pushed forward by the pusher 23, and moves to the position where the front surface abuts the gate body 25a or the vicinity of the gate 25, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the next-sale product (front product) stored in each product rack 18 is always located near the gate 25, and the front product in each product rack 18 can be face-to-face. As a result, for example, the frontmost product S1 in the product rack 18 located on the lower side of the vending machine body 2 is also
Since the product S1 is located near the gate 25, the front product S1 does not deviate from the eyes of the purchaser, and the purchaser does not misunderstand that the product is sold out.

After that, when the final product S2 is to be dispensed, the final product S2 is dispensed while being pushed forward by the pusher 23, similarly to the frontmost product S1 described above. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, at the same time as the final product S2 is dispensed, the protrusion 23c of the pusher 23 contacts the rear end 27b of the slide member 27 of the actuator 26, and the slide member 2
Move 7 forward. Then, by moving the slide member 27 forward, the button 70a of the sold-out detection switch 70 is pressed by the front end portion 27a thereof. As a result, an electric signal is output from the sold-out detection switch 70, and the product rack 18 in which the product is sold out is stored in the memory of the control circuit as a storage unit. In the vending machine 1, at the time of sale, the memory is referred to before the product unloading device 8 operates, and even if the purchaser erroneously selects a sold-out product, the product unloading device is operated. It is designed to inform that the selected product is sold out without the operation of 8.

Thereafter, the payout driven gear 24 is disengaged from the payout driving gear 141 of the drive mechanism 64,
It is free to rotate, that is, free. With this,
The gear 21 and the timing belt 22 are also free.
As a result, the slide member 27, as shown in FIG.
The spring 28 automatically returns to the rear, and the pusher 23 also moves rearward accordingly.

Next, the product unloading device 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8, the product unloading device 8 houses a product S delivered from the product rack 18 and has a bucket 31 that carries out the product S to the product unloading port 5 (hereinafter referred to as “X module unit”). ) 32
And a pair of left and right vertical movement mechanisms that move the X module unit 32 in the vertical direction (hereinafter, referred to as “Y module unit”).
It is composed of 33 and 33. The product unloading device 8 carries the product S paid out from the product rack 18 and carries it out to the product unloading port 5.

The Y module units 33, 33 are moved to the bucket 31 by moving the X module unit 32 up and down.
Is moved to a predetermined position in the vertical direction, and is provided at both left and right ends inside the product storage 7. It should be noted that these Y module parts 33, 33 are the same, and the Y module part on the right side (right side in FIG. 8) will be mainly described below.

The Y module portion 33 is wound around the pulley at the upper end and the sprocket at the lower end in the goods storage 7, and the X module portion 32 is fixed to the interconnected wire and chain. With the rotation of the wire and the chain, the X module unit 32 (bucket 31) is moved in the vertical direction. That is, the Y module unit 33 is arranged at the upper and lower ends of the product storage 7 and has rotatable pulleys 41.
The sprocket 42, the Y module drive motor 43 that rotates the sprocket 42, and the wire 45 that is wound around the pulley 41 and whose front end is connected to the X module 32 through the arm 44 and the sprocket 42. A chain 46 which is wound around and whose front end is connected to the X module section 32 via an arm 44, a tension spring 47 which connects the front end of the chain 46 and the arm 44, a wire 45 and a chain. 46 connected to the rear end of the X module unit 32
And a weight 48 having a function as a balancer. The above-mentioned components except the Y module drive motor 43 are housed in a Y module housing 49 having a U-shaped cross section and having heat insulating properties (see FIG. 1).

Pulley 4 of both Y module parts 33, 33
1, 41 and the sprockets 42, 42 are coaxially arranged. Each pulley 41 rotates independently of each other by each wire 45, while both sprockets 42, 42 are fixed to both ends of the drive shaft 50 and rotate in synchronization with each other. That is, both sprockets 42, 42 are worm gears formed by a worm 51 at the tip of the motor shaft and a worm wheel 52 fixed to the drive shaft 50 by the Y module drive motor 43 provided in the lower part of the product storage 7. As the drive shaft 50 rotates via 53, the drive shaft 50 rotates in synchronization.

Each of the wire 45 and the chain 46 has a length approximately the same as the distance between the pulley 41 and the sprocket 42, and the wire 45 is made lighter than the chain 46 (for example, wire: number). 10g, chain: about 900g). The wire 45 is, as described above, the pulley 4
While being wound around 1, the front end of the pulley 41 is directly connected to the upper part of the arm 44, and the rear end thereof is directly connected to the upper part of the weight 48. On the other hand, the chain 46 is wound around the sprocket 42, and an end portion on the front side of the sprocket 42 is connected to a substantially middle portion in the vertical direction of the arm 44 via a tension spring 47, and an end portion on the rear side of the weight 48 is connected. It is connected to the bottom.

The tension spring 47 applies tension to the wire 45 and the chain 46 as a whole by pulling the front end of the chain 46 upward. Therefore, the wire 45 and the chain 46 are held in a state of being wound around the pulley 41 and the sprocket 42, respectively, without being loosened.

The arm 44 is made of a flat plate, is fixed to the rear end of the X module 32 on the front side, and is connected to the front ends of the wire 45 and the chain 46. The guide member 5 is provided outside the arm 44.
4 are provided (see FIG. 1), and by this guide member 54, the arm 4 is provided along an arm guide rail (not shown) extending vertically in the Y module housing 49.
4 can move smoothly in the vertical direction. As a result, the X module unit 32 fixed to the arm 44
Also, it is possible to smoothly move in the vertical direction along the arm guide rail.

The weight 48 has approximately the same weight as the X module section 32. Therefore, the X module unit 3
2, the weight 48, the wire 45, the chain 46, and the pulley 41 that also functions as a constant pulley allow the X module unit 32 to move up and down without requiring a large driving force. The weight 48 can also be smoothly moved in the vertical direction along a weight guide rail (not shown) extending vertically in the Y module housing 49.

As described above, the Y module container 49 is made of a heat insulating material and is formed in a U-shaped cross section. Then, the opening portions of the side surfaces are pressed against the side surfaces in the left-right direction inside the product storage 7 to cover the respective components of the Y module section 33. As a result, even if the Y module unit 33 is provided across the heating chamber 11 and the cooling chamber 12 in the product storage 7, heat leakage in each room can be reduced.

Y module section 3 constructed as described above
3, the weight 48, the wire 45, and the chain 4
The weight difference of 6 can reduce the force required to lift the X module unit 32 against its weight (gravity), and improve the acceleration performance at the time of starting the X module unit 32 (bucket 31). Can be made. Further, as the X module portion 32 rises, the weight difference between the wire 45 and the chain 46 causes the weight difference between the X module portion 32 side and the weight 4.
By reversing with the 8 side, the deceleration performance when the rising X module part 32 stops can be improved. On the contrary, as the X module portion 32 descends, the X module portion 32 is braked by the weight difference between the wire 45 and the chain 46, so that the deceleration performance when the descending X module portion 32 stops can be improved. Therefore, by improving the acceleration performance and deceleration performance of the X module unit 32, the product S can be transported quickly, and in addition, the X module unit 32 can be stopped accurately, so that the product S can be smoothly and promptly. It can be carried out.

On the other hand, the X module section 32 is connected to the bucket 31 and the Y module section 33, and holds the bucket 31 slidably in the left-right direction.
1 and. As shown in FIG. 8, the bucket container 61 is formed in a horizontally long box shape in which most of the upper and lower parts and the back surface are opened. A moving mechanism for moving is provided. Therefore, the bucket 31 can freely move within the range W shown in FIG. In addition, most of the front surface of the bucket container 61 is
It is composed of a transparent panel or the like, and the bucket 31 can be viewed from the front of the vending machine 1.

As shown in FIG. 9, the bucket 31 receives the product S paid out from the product rack 18, and temporarily stores and holds the product S until it is carried to the product take-out port 5, and this bucket body 62. A payout mechanism 19 mounted on one side surface (left side surface in FIG. 9) of 62 through a case 63, and a drive mechanism 64 for driving a storage mechanism 66 and a carry-out mechanism 67 described later. It is composed by.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the bucket body 62 is formed of a flat plate of aluminum or the like in a box shape, and has a structure that is open from the upper half of the upper surface to the upper half of the rear surface. The product S dispensed from the product rack 18 is stored in the storage section 65, which is a product storage space of the bucket body 62, through the opened portion (product storage opening) 62a. Further, a pair of left and right cylindrical guide members 68, 68 are provided on the upper end of the bucket body 62, and these guide members 68, 68 extend in the bucket housing 61 in the left-right direction. The bucket 31 can be smoothly moved in the left-right direction along the guide rail (not shown). Further, a transparent panel 69 is incorporated in the upper half of the front surface of the bucket body 62 so that the products S accommodated in the bucket 31 can be seen from the front surface. Further, in the bucket body 62, as shown in FIG. 10, a storage mechanism 66 for storing the dispensed product S in the storage portion 65 and a carry-out mechanism for discharging the stored product S to the product outlet 5. 67 is provided.

The accommodating mechanism 66 constitutes the lower edge portion of the commodity accommodating opening 62a, and when accommodating the dispensed commodity S, it passes the commodity S while supporting it from the lower side, and stores it in the accommodating portion 65. Between the stage 71 for storing and the stage 71 and the payout opening 18a of the product rack 18 before the product S is paid out at the time of sale, the stage 71 is partially housed (drum housing position K) at the time of sale standby. Projection (drum projection position L) (see FIG. 12), product S
And a protruding mechanism 73 for rotating the drum 72 between the drum housing position K and the drum projecting position L while supporting the above from below and bridging to the housing portion 65 side.
It is composed of and.

The stage 71 has a horizontal upper surface portion 71a which constitutes a lower edge portion of the product accommodation opening 62a, and the upper surface portion 71a.
The front surface portion 71b which is continuously hung from the front side of a is formed into a substantially inverted "L" shape in vertical cross section.
Left and right end portions 71c, 71c are bent and formed rearward,
The left and right side plates 62b, 62b of the bucket body 62 are screwed to the respective sides. Further, a notch 74 extending from the upper surface portion 71a to the front surface portion 71b is formed at a portion slightly left of the middle portion in the left-right direction of the stage 71, and the upper portion and the front portion of the drum 72 protrude from the notch 74. It is like this. In addition, a pair of screw holes 71d and 71d for screwing the bucket 31 to a supporting member (not shown) which is movable in the left-right direction inside the bucket housing 61 is provided in the lower portion of the front surface portion 71b of the stage 71. Has been formed.

A sold-out detection switch 70 for detecting the sold-out of the product S is provided inside the stage 71, specifically on the right side of the notch 74 and below the upper surface 71a. . The sold-out detection switch 70 is of a push button type, and is provided in a state where the tip of the button 70 a projects rearward from the rear end of the upper surface portion 71 a of the stage 71. Then, as described above, the final product S2 is dispensed from the product rack 18 and simultaneously pressed by the front end portion 27a of the slide member 27 of the actuator 26 (see FIG. 6).

As shown in FIG. 11, the drum 72 has a cylindrical drum main body 72a, a bearing 72b provided in the center of the drum main body 72a, and a rotary shaft 76 inserted in the bearing 72b.
It is composed of and. A claw portion 75 protruding outward is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the drum body 72a. Bearing 7
Reference numeral 2b constitutes a so-called one-way clutch together with the rotating shaft 76, and the drum main body 72a moves only in the direction (the direction of the arrow) for moving the dispensed product S forward to the accommodation portion 66 side with respect to the rotating shaft 76. It is designed to rotate. In other words, the drum 72 is, so to speak, a "roller" that is freely rotatable in the direction of the arrow. When the dispensed product S moves to the storage section 65, it supports the product S from below. However, it can be moved smoothly.

A pulley 77 is fixed to the left end of the rotary shaft 76, and the timing belt 7 is attached to the pulley 77 and a drum drive gear 78 located below the pulley 77.
9 is wrapped around. Therefore, the drum drive gear 78 is rotationally driven by the drive mechanism 64, and the rotary shaft 76 rotates in the arrow direction, whereby the drum 72 integrally rotates in the same direction. Further, as the drum 72 rotates, the claw portion 75 also rotates, so that when the product S passes over the drum 72, the lower portion of the product S is pressed toward the accommodation portion 65 side.

The protrusion mechanism 73 includes a rotary shaft 76 of the drum 72.
By supporting both end portions of the drum holder 81 that holds the drum 72, the drum holder 81 is penetrated and fixed to the lower end portion of the drum holder 81, and both end portions are
The second side plate 62a has a rotating shaft 82 that is rotatably supported. The drum holder 81 includes a rotary shaft 76 of the drum 72.
Has a holder main body 81a for supporting both ends of the holder main body 81a, and a rotating shaft 82 is fixed to the lower end portion of the holder main body 81a so as to penetrate therethrough. Further, the left end portion of the holder body 81a has a cross section "L" that is connected to the drive mechanism 64 via the through hole 83a.
A letter-shaped connecting portion 83 is formed. In the projecting mechanism 73 configured as described above, the drive mechanism 64 moves the connecting portion 83 to the upper rear side, whereby the drum 72 rotates about the rotating shaft 82 to the drum projecting position L, and By returning the connecting portion 83 to the original position, the drum 72 is returned to the drum housing position K.

Further, on both left and right sides of the holder main body 81a,
Claw detection sensors 84 and 84, which are optical sensors for detecting the positions of the claws 75, are provided below the drum 72. The pawl 75 is normally stopped by the drive mechanism 64 by the pawl detection sensors 84, 84 at a position on the straight line connecting them (home position of the pawl). Therefore, for example, when the claw portion 75 is stopped in a state of protruding toward the payout opening 18a,
Since the product S to be dispensed may be caught by the claw portion 75 and a defective delivery may occur, this can be reliably prevented.

The drum drive gear 78 is rotatably fitted to the rotary shaft 82 between the left end of the rotary shaft 82 and the holder body 81a.
Even if the 2 rotates, the position does not shift.

In the bucket body 62, when the product S paid out from the product rack 18 is stored in the storage section 65, the product S is stored in the product rack 18, that is, it stands up. A product attitude correction plate 85 for accommodating the product as it is is provided. The product attitude correction plate 85 is composed of a transparent flat plate, and is rotatably supported at its upper end. Specifically, a correction plate rotation shaft 87 extending in the left-right direction is rotatably attached to the left and right side plates 62b, 62b of the bucket body 62 at the upper end of the bucket body 62 and substantially in the middle in the front-rear direction. The product posture correcting plate 85 is supported by the correction plate rotating shaft 87 at two positions (fixing portions 86, 86) on the upper end portion.

As shown in FIG. 12, the product attitude correcting plate 85 is inclined rearward to close most of the product accommodation opening 62a, and is formed at the upper end of each fixing portion 86 to project upward. The storage opening closing position M where the portion 86a abuts the upper edge of the product storage opening 62a from the rear, and the product storage opening 62a that is inclined downward to the front to open the product storage opening 62a, and a stopper 88 provided at the upper portion of the bucket body 62 It rotates with respect to the accommodation opening opening position N which abuts against.
The correction plate rotating shaft 87 is provided with a torsion spring (not shown) for urging the product attitude correction plate 85 toward the accommodation opening closing position M side. The posture correction plate 85 is held at the accommodation opening closing position M.

Further, the left and right side plates 62 of the bucket body 62
a and 62a include a product detection sensor 8 including an optical sensor.
9, 89 are provided. These product detection sensors 8
9, 89, it is detected that the product S has been paid out and delivered to the bucket 31.

Here, referring to FIG. 12, the product rack 1
The operation when the product S delivered from 8 is stored in the storage portion 65 of the bucket body 62 will be described. Before the product S is dispensed from the product rack 18, the drum 72
Rotates from the drum housing position K to the drum projecting position L.
Then, when the product S is dispensed from the product rack 18,
The product S moves on the drum 72 and further on the stage 71 while inclining to the front side, and the front surface of the product S corrects the product posture correcting plate 8.
5 (the state of S3 in FIG. 12). In this case, the drum 72 idles in the direction in which the product S moves,
The product S is smoothly moved to the stage 71.

When the product S moves onto the stage 71 and is detected by the product detection sensor 89, the drum 72 at the drum protruding position L is rotated a plurality of times by the drive mechanism 64 (for example, 5 rotations). ). As a result, the lower end of the product S is pressed forward by the claw portion 75 of the drum 72, and the product attitude correction plate 85 is rotated to the accommodation opening opening position N (state of S4 in FIG. 12). Also, the drum 72
The rotation of the product S causes the product S to contact the product posture correcting plate 85 (in this case, the upper end of the front surface of the product S) as a fulcrum.
By the payout, the posture inclining to the front side is returned to the proper posture, that is, the standing posture almost the same as the state stored in the product rack 18, and is housed in the housing portion 65 (state of S5 in FIG. 12).

Thereafter, the drum 72, which has been rotated to the drum projecting position L, is driven by the drive mechanism 64 to the drum housing position K.
And is partially accommodated on the stage 71. In this case, since the upper and front parts of the drum 72 protrude from the notches 74 of the stage 71, even if the lower end of the product S catches on the upper surface 71a of the stage 71 and stays there, the accommodation in the accommodation part 65 is poor. It is possible to reliably store the product S without causing any trouble. That is, when the drum 72 returns to the drum housing position K, the lower end portion of the product S caught on the upper surface portion 71a of the stage 71 is pressed forward by the upper portion and the front portion of the drum 72, whereby the commodity S is caught on the stage 71. Is released and is reliably accommodated in the accommodation portion 65.

When the product S is stored in the bucket 31 (accommodation portion 65) having the storage mechanism 66 and the product attitude correction plate 85 as described above, even products having various shapes and weights are similarly erected. It can be reliably accommodated in the desired posture. 13 to 17 show cases in which products having other shapes are stored. 13 is a plastic bottle product, FIG. 14 is a small container product, FIG. 15 is a rectangular parallelepiped product, FIG. 16 is a product having a thickness in the front-rear direction smaller than that shown in FIG. 15, and FIG. The case where a product having a larger thickness is accommodated toward the upper side is shown.

Next, the carry-out mechanism 67 will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, the carry-out mechanism 67 includes the bucket body 62.
A tray 91 that is openably and closably provided at the lower end of the storage unit 65 and that forms the bottom surface of the storage unit 65; And a single link 93 interconnecting the tray 91 and the opening / closing door 92.

The tray 91 is made of a flat plate, and its front edge and both left and right edges are bent downward. The left and right ends of the rear end of the tray 91 are fixed to a tray rotation shaft 94 which is rotatably supported by the left and right side plates 62b and 62b of the bucket body 62, respectively. As a result, the tray 91 pivots around the rear end between the tray opening position P1 that is diagonally downward to the front as shown in FIG. 18 and the horizontal tray closing position Q1 to open and close the bottom surface of the accommodating portion 65. It has become. A torsion spring (closing spring 95) for biasing the tray 91 to the tray closing position Q1 is provided on the rotating shaft 94 (see FIG. 10), and the tray 91 is normally held at the tray closing position Q1. ing.

At the left end of the tray 91, there is provided a pressed portion 96 that extends obliquely rearward and upward. The pressed portion 96 is pressed forward when the product S is carried out by a pressing pin 169 of a lock means 115 that can be horizontally moved in the front-rear direction, which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 18, when the pressing pin 169 moves forward, the pressing pin 1
69 is pressed against the back surface of the pressed portion 96 while pressing against the pressed portion 96.
It will be in a state of approaching toward the tip of. That is,
When viewed from the pressed portion 96 side, the pressed portion 96 is in a state of being pushed down by the pressing pin 169. As a result, the tray 91 pivots to the tray opening position P1 and opens. Conversely, when the pressing pin 169 retracts and separates from the rear surface of the pressed portion 96, the tray 91 is rotated by the closing spring 95 to the tray closing position Q1 and closed.

Further, a lock pin 97 protruding outward is attached to the left end of the tray 91. When the tray 91 is at the tray closing position Q1, the lock pin 97 is engaged with the locking means 115 so that the tray 91 is locked and reliably held at the tray closing position Q1.

Like the tray 91, the opening / closing door 92 is made of a flat plate, and the upper end of the opening / closing door 92 is a rotating shaft 98 for opening / closing the door.
It is rotatably supported by. As a result, the opening / closing door 92 is lowered forward and the tray opening position P1 is reached.
Opening / closing door opening position P2 substantially parallel to the tray 91 at
And a vertical opening / closing door closing position Q2, the upper half is pivoted around to open and close the lower half of the front surface of the housing portion 65. Further, one end of a link 93 is rotatably connected to the rear surface of the opening / closing door 92 slightly above the intermediate portion in the vertical direction. The other end of this link 93 is connected to the tray 9
It is rotatably connected to the tip of one pressed portion 96. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
When the tray 91 is opened, the tray is pressed forward by the link 93 to be opened.

Thus, the tray 91 and the opening / closing door 9
When 2 is rotated to the tray opening position P1 and the opening / closing door opening position P2, respectively, an opening 62c for carrying out the stored product S is formed from the bottom surface of the bucket body 62 to the lower half of the front surface. At the same time, a carry-out passage 99 toward the product outlet 5 is formed. Also in this case,
As shown in FIG. 9, the opening / closing door 92 pushes the upper door 13a of the carry-out door 13 forward, whereby the carry-out door 13 is opened.

The products S accommodated are shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
Specifically, the product S is passed through the carry-out passage 99 while being guided by the tray 91, and is further passed through the carry-out opening 7b while being guided by a chute 101 that is slanting forward and downward provided at the lower edge of the carry-out opening 7b. And carry it out to the product outlet 5. When the carry-out door 13 is opened by the opening / closing door 92,
The lower door 13b hanging from the lower end of the upper door 13a rotates forward due to the force of the product S falling. Therefore, the product S is smoothly carried out to the product outlet 5 without being stuck on the lower door 13b.

Thus, the open tray 91 and the open / close door 92 form a large carry-out passage 99, and the product S is guided by the tray 91 and the chute 101, and the carry-out door 13 is forced by the open / close door 92. Since the product is dropped and carried out to the product take-out port 5 while being opened, even if the product S has a large outer shape or a light weight, the product S is caught in the open / close door 92 and the carry-out door 13. The product S can be reliably and smoothly carried out in a short time without causing a carry-out failure.

Next, referring to FIGS. 20 to 29, the payout mechanism 19, the accommodating mechanism 66, and the carry-out mechanism 67 are provided on the left side of the bucket body 62 via the case 63.
The drive mechanism 64 for driving the will be described. Drive mechanism 6
As shown in FIGS. 20, 21 and 22, 4 is a cam that is arranged at a substantially middle portion in the vertical direction of the case 63, has a large number of teeth on its peripheral surface, and has a plurality of cam grooves on its left and right side surfaces. The disk 111, a cam motor (first motor) 112 that rotationally drives the cam disk 111, a gear motor (second motor) 113 that rotationally drives the payout driven gear 24 of the payout mechanism 19, and the drum 72 of the accommodation mechanism 66. And a drum motor 114 for driving the tray 91 to lock the tray 91 at the tray closing position Q1.
The unloading mechanism 67 is opened / closed via 15.

The cam disk 111 is configured to rotate normally and reversely through the reduction gear train 123 formed by the combination of the gear 121 and the gear 122 when the cam motor 112 rotates normally and reversely. FIG. 23 shows the cam disc 111 in a so-called home position before the cam disc 111 rotates. In the following description, the rotation direction of the cam disc 111 and the extension direction of the cam groove will be described based on the case when viewed from the right side surface (FIG. 23A).

As shown in the figure, the gate driven link 1 for opening the gate 25 is provided on the side surface of the cam disk 111.
A through gate cam groove 131 with which 24 is engaged is formed. The gate cam groove 131 has a starting end 131a.
From the end to the end 131b, it makes about 3/4 turns clockwise at an equal distance to the center of the cam disc 111, and continuously makes about 1/4 turn while gradually separating from the center, and further, makes an equal distance to the center. It is formed so as to make about a quarter of the distance.

The gate driven link 124 is formed of an obtuse triangular triangular flat plate, and has a triangular link 126 having an engaging pin 125 that engages with the gate cam groove 131, and a front end portion of an upper acute angle portion 126a of the triangular link 126. 127a is rotatably connected, and is constituted by a rod-shaped pressing link (projecting member) 127 for pressing the gate lever 25c of the gate 25 rearward at the rear end 127b. The triangular link 126 is rotatably supported by the case 63 at the lower acute angle portion 126b, and the engaging pin 125 is attached slightly above the intermediate portion in the vertical direction. An arcuate slit 126d extending from the obtuse angle portion 126c to the engaging pin 125 is formed on the side surface of the triangular link 126, and the rotary shaft 111a of the cam disc 111 is inserted therein. On the other hand, the pressing link 127 has a rear end 127b.
Protrudes rearward through a guide hole 63a formed on the back surface of the case 63, and is horizontally movable in the front-rear direction. The engagement pin 125 is provided on the cam disk 11
When 1 is located at the home position, it is engaged with the gate cam groove 131 at a position approximately 1/4 round from the starting end 131a.

The cam groove for gate 1 constructed as described above
31 and the gate driven link 124, the cam disk 1
When 11 rotates counterclockwise from its home position,
The triangular link 126 rotates clockwise around the lower acute angle portion 126b, and the pressing link 127 moves rearward to press the lower end portion of the gate lever 25c with the rear end portion 127b. As a result, the gate 25 is opened.

On the contrary, in the above state, the cam disk 11
When 1 rotates clockwise, the triangular link 126 rotates counterclockwise. As a result, the pressing link 127 moves forward to release the pressing of the gate lever 25c and close the gate 25.

Further, on the left side surface of the cam disc 111, there is provided a gear support member 142 for supporting a gear (discharging drive gear) 141 for driving the payout mechanism 19 (dispensing driven gear 24) in a state of being engaged with the mechanism. Engaging cam groove 1 to be engaged
32 and a drum cam groove 133 with which a drum driven link 143 for rotating the drum 72 to the drum protruding position L is engaged.

The engagement cam groove 132 makes an approximately 1/4 turn clockwise from the start end 132a to the end 132b at an equal distance to the center of the cam disk 111, and continuously moves away from the center to approximately 1/1. It is formed so as to make four rounds and further to make one round at an equal distance from the center.

The gear support member 142 is made of a substantially right-angled triangular flat plate, and an engaging pin 144 that engages with the engaging cam groove 132 is attached to the lower acute-angled portion 142a, while an upper pin is provided. The gear motor 1 is attached to the acute angle portion 142b.
13, an intermediate gear 148 is provided which rotates via a reduction gear train 147 formed by a combination of gears 145 and 146, and whose rotation shaft is rotatably supported by the case 63. A payout drive gear 141 is rotatably supported by the right-angled portion 142c. A timing belt 149 is wound around the payout drive gear 141 and the intermediate gear 148, and the payout drive gear 141 rotates as the intermediate gear 148 rotates. It should be noted that the engagement pin 144 is engaged at a position approximately ¼ round from the starting end 132a of the engagement cam groove 132 when the cam disc 111 is located at the home position.

The engaging cam groove 13 configured as described above.
When the cam disk 111 is rotated counterclockwise from the home position by the gear support member 142 and the gear support member 142, the gear support member 142 rotates counterclockwise around the upper acute angle portion 142b and is provided on the right angle portion 142c. The payout drive gear 141 projects rearward from the back surface of the case 63 and engages with the payout driven gear 24. Then, when the gear motor 113 operates in this state, the payout drive gear 141
Rotates, the payout driven gear 24 is driven to rotate, and the payout mechanism 19 is driven.

On the contrary, in the above state, the cam disk 111
When is rotated clockwise, the gear support member 142 is rotated clockwise around the upper acute angle portion 142b. As a result, the payout driving gear 141 is moved to the payout driven gear 24.
Is released from the engagement with and is housed in the case 63.

On the other hand, the drum cam groove 133 has the starting end 13
3a to the end 133b, at an equal distance to the center of the cam disk 111, it makes about 1/2 turn in a clockwise direction, and it makes about 1/4 turn continuously away from the center. It is configured to make approximately 1/4 round at equal distances. The drum cam groove 133 has a starting end 133a.
Starts from a position branched from the middle of the engaging cam groove 132, but is formed to have a shallower depth than the engaging cam groove 132, and the engaging pin 144 that engages with the engaging cam groove 132 is for the drum. Since the engaging cam groove 132 is inserted to a position deeper than the depth of the cam groove 133, the engaging pin 144 does not enter the drum cam groove 133.

The drum driven link 143 is formed of a substantially "V" -shaped flat plate, and an engaging pin 151 that engages with the drum cam groove 133 is attached to the front end portion 143a on the front side, while the rear side A connecting pin 152 to be inserted into the through hole 83a of the connecting portion 83 of the drum holder 81 is attached to the front end portion 143b on the side. Also, the bent portion 143c
Are rotatably supported by the case 63. It should be noted that the engagement pin 151 has the starting end 1 of the drum cam groove 133 when the cam disk 111 is located at the home position.
It is engaged at a position approximately one-quarter turn from 33a.

Drum cam groove 1 constructed as described above
33 and the drum driven link 143, the cam disk 1
When 11 rotates counterclockwise from its home position,
The drum driven link 143 rotates clockwise around the bent portion 143c, and the rear end portion 143b moves obliquely rearward and upward. As a result, the drum holder 81 of the accommodating mechanism 66 pivots rearward about the pivot shaft 82, and the drum 72
Rotates to the drum protruding position L. When the drum motor 114 operates in this state, the drum drive gear 78 of the housing mechanism 66 is rotationally driven via the reduction gear train 155 formed by the combination of the gear 153 and the gear 154, and the drum 72 rotates.

On the contrary, when the cam disk 111 rotates clockwise while the drum 72 is located at the drum projecting position L, the drum driven link 143 rotates clockwise around the bent portion 143c. As a result, the drum 72
Return to the drum accommodation position K.

On the left side surface of the cam disk 111, there is provided a cam mechanism (lock / carry-out cam mechanism) 161 for driving the lock means 115 provided on the bottom surface of the case 63 and thereby driving the carry-out mechanism 67. It is provided. The locking unit 115 locks the tray 91 (see FIG. 26) and unlocks the lock 91 and unlocks the tray 91 to the tray opening position P1 (see FIGS. 26 and 28). A slide plate 162 slidable in the front-back direction between the tray 9 and the tray 9;
Slide plate 16 in the direction to lock 1 (in this case, backward)
2 and a spring (lock spring) 163 that biases the spring 2.

A pair of front and rear elongated holes 164, 164 extending in the front-rear direction are provided at the center of the slide plate 162 in the left-right direction.
Are formed. The slide plate 162 engages with the bottom surface of the case 63 from below through the elongated holes 164 and 164 and is guided in the front-rear direction. Further, a through hole 165 that slightly extends in the front-rear direction is formed on the left side of the front portion of the slide plate 162, and the lower end portion of the lock / unload cam mechanism 161 is inserted into the through hole 165 from above. Further, the right side edge of the slide plate 162 is bent downward at the front end thereof, and an operating portion 166 for manually operating the slide plate 162 itself and a rear end portion of the bent portion of the operating portion 166 are provided. A recess 167 that is continuous and is recessed to the left and a bent portion 168 that is continuous from the rear end of the recess 167 and that is bent upward are formed. The operation portion 166 is formed in a downward wedge shape, and the lock pin 9 of the tray 91 is provided at the rear end portion of the bent portion.
Engagement portion 166 cut out in an “L” shape with which 7 is engaged
a is formed. In addition, the rear end portion of the bent portion 168 protrudes to the right, contacts the back surface of the pressed portion 96 of the tray 91, and presses the pressed portion 96 forward.
9 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 25, the lock / carry-out cam mechanism 161 projects leftward from the left side surface of the cam disc 111 and is provided slightly below the rotary shaft 111a of the cam disc 111 at the home position. Protruding pin 171
And a cam piece 172 that is loosely inserted in the rotary shaft 111a of the cam disk 111 and is rotated by being pressed by the projecting pin 171 when the cam disk 111 rotates, and by the cam piece 172 being driven, the slide It is composed of a lock / delivery driven link 173 that moves the plate 162 back and forth.

The cam piece 172 is formed so that the back surface is flat and the front surface is curved forward. On the other hand, the lock / carry-out driven link 173 has a driven pin 174 at the upper end portion which comes into contact with the front surface of the cam piece 172, and a first driven link 175 which is rotatable around a substantially middle rear end portion in the vertical direction. The upper end is rotatably connected to the lower end of the first driven link 175, while the lower end is inserted into the through hole 165 of the slide plate 162 and is rotatable about a substantially middle portion in the vertical direction. And the second driven link 176 of.

Now, with reference to FIGS. 26 to 29, the operations of the lock means 115 and the lock / unload cam mechanism 161 configured as described above will be described. When the cam disc 111 at the home position shown in FIG. 26 rotates clockwise, first, as shown in FIG. 27, the cam piece 172 is pressed by the projecting pin 171 from the rear side to rotate clockwise. As a result, the driven pin 17 of the first driven link 175 is
4 moves forward while sliding on the front surface of the cam piece 172, and the first driven link 175 rotates counterclockwise around the rear end portion. Then, by this, the second driven link 176
Rotates clockwise around the middle portion, and the lower end of the slide plate 162 pushes the slide plate 162 forward to move the slide plate 162. As a result, the engaging portion 166a of the slide plate 162 is disengaged from the lock pin 97 of the tray 91, and the lock of the tray 91 is released.

When the cam disk 111 further rotates clockwise, as shown in FIG. 28, the first driven link 175 and the second driven link 176 further rotate and the slide plate 16 is rotated.
2 further moves forward (lock release position U). Then, the pressing pin 169 of the slide plate 162 is attached to the tray 91.
When the tray 91 is brought into contact with the back surface of the pressed portion 96 and further moved forward to push down the pressed portion 96, the tray 91 is rotated to the tray opening position P1 and the bottom surface of the accommodating portion 65 is opened. Further, in this case, as described above, the opening / closing door 92 also pivots to the opening / closing door opening position P2 to open the lower front half of the housing portion 65.

On the contrary, when the cam disk 111 rotates counterclockwise with the tray 91 opened, the slide plate 16
2 is pulled rearward by the lock spring 163 to move. Thereby, the pressed portion 96 by the pressing pin 169 is pressed.
The pressing is released, and the tray 91 is rotated by the closing spring 95 to the tray closing position Q1 while the pressed portion 96 contacts the pressing pin 169. Then, after the tray 91 is completely closed, the slide plate 162 is moved further rearward, so that the pressing pin 169 is separated from the pressed portion 96, and the engaging portion 166a of the slide plate 162 is locked by the lock pin of the tray 91. Engage with 97. As a result, the tray 91 is locked by the slide plate 162, as shown in FIG.

Further, in the carry-out mechanism 67, an operator or the like can manually open the tray 91 and the opening / closing door 92 from the outside. For example, the operator may slide the slide plate 162.
When the slide plate 162 is pulled out to the unlocked position U by picking up the operating portion 166 of, the first driven link 175 and the second driven link 176 move the cam disk 1 as shown in FIG.
The tray 91 and the opening / closing door 92 are opened while rotating in the same manner as when the 11 is rotated. That is, the lock / carry-out driven link 173 including the first driven link 175 and the second driven link 176 is configured to rotate independently of the cam disc 111, that is, without being restrained by the cam disc 111. Therefore, even if the cam disk 111 is stopped, the tray 91 and the opening / closing door 92 can be opened. When the tray 91 and the opening / closing door 92 are closed, the operator releases the operation unit 166, and the slide plate 162 is locked by the lock spring 163.
The tray 91 and the opening / closing door 92 are closed automatically by moving backward.

In this way, the tray 91 and the opening / closing door 9
2 can be opened manually, so the bucket body 6
It is possible to easily perform cleaning and maintenance of the inside of 2 (accommodation portion 65). Further, when the tray 91 and the opening / closing door 92 are open, when the bucket 31 is attached to the support member in the bucket container 61, it is easily screwed in the screw holes 71d and 71d of the stage 71 from the horizontal direction. be able to.

Further, on both left and right side surfaces of the cam disc 111,
As shown in FIG. 23, the cam disk 1 projects outward and
Two triangular protrusions (hereinafter referred to as “switch-on protrusions”) protruding toward the peripheral edge of each of 11 are provided (switch-on protrusions 181a and 181a on the left side surface).
1b, switch protrusions 182a, 182b on the right side). These switch-on protrusions 181a, 181b, 182
The rotation control switches 183 and 184 provided on the left and right sides of the cam disk 111 respectively are turned on by a and 182b.
By turning off and on, the rotation angle of the cam disc 111 is detected, and the rotation of the cam disc 111 is controlled by this, and the gear motor 113 and the drum motor 1 are also controlled.
It controls the operation of 14. In the following description, the left rotation control switch 183 is referred to as “left switch 183”,
Turn the rotation control switch 184 on the right side to the "right switch 184".
Say.

As shown in FIG. 23, the switch-on protrusion 1
81a, 181b, 182a, 182b are provided at positions equidistant from the center of the cam disc 111. As shown in FIG. 7A, the switch-on protrusion 182a on the right side surface is provided on the cam disc 11 at the home position.
It is provided on the front side of 1 and at an angle of approximately 45 degrees obliquely downward. On the left side surface at the same position as the switch-on protrusion 182a, that is, at the same position on the back side, the switch-on protrusion 1
81a is provided. Further, the other switch-on protrusion 182b on the right side is the front side of the cam disc 111 in the home position and is located at a position approximately 45 degrees obliquely upward (actually, 100 degrees clockwise relative to the switch-on protrusion 182a). It is provided in the rotated position). Also,
The other switch-on protrusion 181b on the left side surface is provided substantially vertically below the center of the cam disc 111 at the home position.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 20, the left and right switches 183 and 184 are provided adjacent to the peripheral edge portion of the cam disk 111, which is obliquely below the front. These left and right switches 183, 18
4 is the switch body 185 and the cam disc 111.
It is provided on the center side of, and has a base end connected to the switch body 185 and a leaf spring 187 having a rotatable roller 186 at the tip. In these left and right switches 183 and 184, the tip end portion of the leaf spring 187 is provided with the switch-on protrusions 181 a, 1
When the switch 81b, 182a, 182b is pressed toward the peripheral edge of the cam disk 111 by the tops (portions protruding toward the peripheral edge of the cam disk 111) and comes into contact with the switch body 185, it is in the ON state. An electric signal is output from the switch body 185. On the other hand, when the tip of the leaf spring 187 is separated from the switch body 185, it is in the OFF state.

The drive mechanism 64 constructed as described above is
Since it is configured as a module in the case 63,
When manufacturing the product unloading device 8 that can sell a large product, only the bucket body 62 needs to be changed. That is,
Since the modularized drive mechanism 64 can be shared, the manufacturing cost of the product discharge device 8 can be reduced, and the versatility of the drive mechanism 64 can be improved.

Now, with reference to FIGS. 30 to 34 showing the operation around the drive mechanism 64, a series of operations of the product unloading device 8 at the time of sale will be described focusing on the drive mechanism. FIG. 30 shows a sales standby state. As shown in the figure, the cam disc 111 is located at the home position. In this case, the left and right switches 183 and 184 are both turned on by the switch-on protrusions 181a and 182a, respectively.

When the purchaser inserts a coin and presses the product selection button, the product unloading device 8 is operated and the bucket 31 stores the selected product S 1 in the product rack 1.
8 to the payout opening 18a and stops.

Thereafter, the cam motor 112 operates so as to rotate in the normal direction, and the cam disk 111 rotates counterclockwise from the home position. When the cam disk 111 starts rotating counterclockwise, the left and right switches 183, 1
All 84 are turned off. With the rotation of the cam disc 111, the gear support member 142 engaged with the engagement cam groove 132 rotates counterclockwise around the upper end portion (upper acute corner portion 142b) and is housed in the case 63. The pay-out drive gear 141 is gradually outside, that is, the product rack 1
It projects to the 8 side. Then, when the cam disk 111 rotates about 100 degrees, as shown in FIG. 31, the payout drive gear 1
41, the latter half portion thereof projects to the outside and engages with the payout driven gear 24 so as to engage with it.

After that, when the cam disk 111 further rotates counterclockwise, the drum driven link 143 engaging with the drum cam groove 133 rotates counterclockwise around the bent portion 143c, and accordingly the drum. The drum holder 81 connected to the driven link 143 rotates clockwise around the rotation shaft 82 at the lower end. As a result, the drum 72 at the drum housing position K gradually rotates toward the product rack 18.
Then, when the cam disk 111 rotates about 210 degrees, as shown in FIG.
2, the drum 72 rotates to the drum protruding position L.

Thereafter, when the cam disk 111 further rotates counterclockwise, the triangular link 126 engaged with the gate cam groove 131 rotates clockwise around the lower end (lower acute angle portion 126b), The pressing link 127 connected to the upper end portion (upper acute corner portion 126a) of the triangular link 126 gradually moves rearward, and the rear end portion 127b projects from the rear surface of the case 63 toward the product rack 18 side. And the cam disk 11
1 rotation, as shown in FIG. 33, the left switch 18
3 is turned on by the switch-on protrusion 181b on the left side surface (the right switch 184 is off),
That is, when rotated about 320 degrees, the cam disk 111
Stops (hereinafter, the rotational position of the cam disk 111 in this case is referred to as the “maximum rotational position”). In this case, the pressing link 127 presses the lower end of the gate lever 25c rearward with the rear end 127b, whereby the gate 25 is opened.

In this state, the gear motor 113 is operated to rotate the payout driving gear 141, and the payout driven gear 24 is rotated accordingly, whereby the payout mechanism 19 is rotated.
Is driven. Then, the product (the front product) S in the product rack 18 is paid out to the bucket 31 side. The product S
When the commodity detection sensor 89 detects that the drum has moved onto the drum 72 and / or the stage 71 of the bucket body 62, the operation of the gear motor 113 is stopped.

Thereafter, the drum motor 114 is operated to rotate the drum 72 a plurality of times (for example, about 5 times), and the lower end portion of the commodity S is moved forward by the claw portion 75 thereof.
Press to the side. As a result, the product S is stored in the storage section 65 in an appropriate posture by the product posture correction plate 85. The number of rotations of the drum 72 is counted by the claw portion detection sensor 84, so that the drum 72 rotates a predetermined number of times and stops so that the claw portion 75 is located at the claw portion home position.

When the product S is stored in the storage portion 65 of the bucket 31, the cam motor 112 operates so as to rotate in the reverse direction, and the cam disk 111 rotates clockwise from the maximum rotation position. When the cam disk 111 starts rotating clockwise, the left switch 183 is turned off like the right switch 184. When the cam disc 111 is rotated about 110 degrees clockwise from the maximum rotation position (about 210 degrees counterclockwise from the home position: about 320 to about 210), as shown in FIG. Returning to the position, the gate 25 is closed. And the cam disc 1
When 11 rotates further clockwise, the drum 72 returns to the drum housing position K, and the right switch 184 is turned on by the switch-on protrusion 182b on the right side as shown in FIG.
When the N state (the left switch 183 is in the OFF state) is reached, that is, when it is rotated about 110 degrees (about 100 degrees counterclockwise from the home position: about 210 to about 100), the cam disk 111 stops (hereinafter , "Feeding stop position").

The above-mentioned state, that is, the payout drive gear 7
The gear motor 113 operates in a state where only 8 projects toward the product rack 18 side and is engaged with the payout driven gear 24. In this case, the gear motor 113 is set by the delivery amount setting means in accordance with the product S stored in the product rack 18.
Operate for a preset time (eg, a few seconds). As a result, the payout mechanism 19 is driven, and the product stored immediately after the product S stored in the bucket 31,
That is, the entire product S is advanced so that the next-sale product is located near the gate 25.

Incidentally, instead of setting the above set time,
The next-sale product contacts the gate 25 (gate body 25a),
The operation of the gear motor 113 may be stopped according to the load current flowing through the gear motor 113. Further, when the set time is set to 0 second, the cam disc 111 does not stop at the delivery stop position.

Then, the cam disk 111 rotates further clockwise from the feed stop position, and as shown in FIG. 30, the left and right switches 183 and 184 are turned on by the switch-on protrusions 181a and 182a on the left and right side surfaces, respectively. When it becomes, that is, the cam disk 111 rotates about 100 degrees, it stops (home position).

In this state, the bucket 31 is moved by the Y module unit 33 to a position diagonally above and rearward of the product outlet 5.

Thereafter, the cam motor 112 is operated again so as to rotate in the reverse direction, and the cam disk 111 rotates clockwise from the home position. Note that the cam disk 111
Left and right switches 183, 1
All 84 are turned off. With the rotation of the cam disc 111, the cam piece 172 causes the protruding pin 1 of the cam disc 111 to move.
It is pressed by 71 and rotates clockwise. This cam piece 17
By the rotation of 2, the slide plate 162 of the lock means 115 is moved to the front unlocked position U by the lock / delivery driven link 173. As a result, the lock of the tray 91 is released, and the tray 91 is opened by the pressing pin 169 of the slide plate 162, and along with this, the opening / closing door 92.
Is also opened.

In this case, the cam disc 111 is brought into the OFF state as shown in FIG. 34 after the left switch 183 is once in the ON state (the right switch 184 is in the OFF state) by the switch-on protrusion 181b on the left side surface. When
That is, it stops when it rotates about 50 degrees clockwise from the home position. Then, the carry-out passage 99 formed by opening the tray 91 and the opening / closing door 92.
The product S falls from the front to the product outlet 5 and is carried out.

When a product unloading detection sensor (not shown) provided at the product outlet 5 detects that the product S has been unloaded, the cam motor 112 operates so as to rotate in the normal direction, and the cam disk is rotated. 111 rotates counterclockwise and returns to the home position (see FIG. 30). Along with this, the tray 91 and the opening / closing door are closed, and the tray 91 is locked by the slide plate 162.

Table 1 below shows the relationship between the rotation angle of the cam disc 111 and the states of the left switch 183 and the right switch 184.

[0118]

[Table 1]

As described above in detail, according to the product dispenser of the vending machine of this embodiment, the next sale product is placed so that the front surface is located near the gate 25 after the frontmost product S1 is dispensed. S2 can be reliably sent out. Therefore, the next-sale product S2 (foremost product S1) does not deviate from the viewpoint of the purchaser, and the purchaser does not misunderstand that the product is sold out. Further, the display effect of the front product S1 can be sufficiently exerted, and in addition, the purchaser does not feel uneasy about the sale.

Further, since the next-sale product S2 is sent out after the gate 25 of the product rack 18 is closed, the next-sale product S2 is paid out together with the previous product (the front product S1). It is possible to prevent the next-sale product S2 from blocking the closing of the gate 25.

Furthermore, since the payout mechanism 19 of all the product racks 18 can be controlled by operating only the drive mechanism 64 common to each product rack 18, the payout mechanism 19 is driven for each product rack 18. It is not necessary to provide a control device or the like for controlling, and an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

Furthermore, since the pay-out driving gear 141 on the drive mechanism 64 side engages with the pay-out driven gear 24 on the product rack 18 side, the gate 25 is opened. It is possible to prevent S1 from being accidentally dispensed from the product rack 18.

[0123]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Regardless of the thickness of the product in the front-rear direction, the next-sale product can be reliably moved to the vicinity of the gate of the product rack, and when there are multiple product racks, the next-sale product of each product rack is face-to-face. It has the effect of being able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an automatic vending machine including a product dispensing device for an automatic vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a side sectional view.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an enlarged front end portion of a product rack.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a case where the frontmost product is paid out.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a state immediately after the front product is paid out.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a case where the next-sale product is sent out so as to come into contact with the gate.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a case where the final product is paid out.

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing a case where the last product has been dispensed and the actuator has returned to its original state.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a product unloading device.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a bucket.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the bucket body.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a drum.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a storage operation by a storage mechanism.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a storage operation of another product.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an accommodating operation of another product, similar to FIG.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an accommodating operation of another product, similar to FIG.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a storage operation of another product, similar to FIG. 13.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a storage operation of another product, similar to FIG. 13.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a carry-out operation of the carry-out mechanism.

FIG. 19 is a vertical sectional view showing a case where a product is unloaded.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a drive mechanism.

FIG. 21 is a right side view showing a drive mechanism.

FIG. 22 is a left side view showing a drive mechanism.

23A and 23B are diagrams showing the cam disc in the home position, wherein FIG. 23A is a right side view and FIG. 23B is a left side view.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing an engagement relationship between a cam disk and a gate driven link and a drum driven link.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing an engagement relationship of a cam disc, a lock / delivery cam mechanism, a lock means, and a delivery mechanism.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the lock / delivery cam mechanism, showing the case where the cam disc is located at the home position.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 26, and shows a state in which the cam disk rotates clockwise and the tray is unlocked.

FIG. 28 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 26, and shows a state in which the cam disc further rotates clockwise and the tray and the opening / closing door are opened.

FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the tray and the opening / closing door are opened by manually operating the slide plate.

FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the driving of the payout mechanism, the storage mechanism, and the carry-out mechanism by the drive mechanism, showing the case where the cam disk is located at the home position.

FIG. 31 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 30, showing a case where the cam disk rotates 100 degrees counterclockwise.

32 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 30, showing a case where the cam disc rotates counterclockwise by 210 degrees.

FIG. 33 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 30, showing a case where the cam disk rotates counterclockwise by 320 degrees.

FIG. 34 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 30, showing a case where the cam disk rotates 50 degrees clockwise from the home position.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 vending machine 5 Product outlet 8 Product unloading device 19 Payout mechanism 23 Pusher 25 gates 31 buckets 64 drive mechanism 89 Product detection sensor 111 cam disc 112 cam motor 113 gear motor 131 Gate Cam Groove 132 Engagement cam groove 141 Dispensing drive gear

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A product rack located in the forefront of a plurality of products stored side by side in a front and rear direction in a front and rear product rack is dispensed from a dispensing port at a front end of the product rack at the time of sale, A product dispensing device for a vending machine that delivers to a product unloading means located in the front, wherein a drive mechanism and a front end portion of the product rack are provided, and the drive mechanism opens the dispensing port at the time of dispensing, Driven by the closing gate and the drive mechanism, the entire product in the product rack is moved forward with the payout opening opened, whereby the product located at the forefront is paid out and received by the product carry-out means. After handing over and closing the payout port, the entire product is sent forward by a predetermined amount so that the front of the next-sale product is located near the gate. And a delivery amount setting unit that sets the predetermined amount in advance according to the products stored in the product rack, and the drive mechanism is a first motor that can rotate in forward and reverse directions. And is driven to rotate by this first motor, and the engagement cam groove and
And a cam disc having a gate cam groove formed on its surface, a second motor, and the cam disc rotating to cause the engagement cam groove.
According to the second motor,
Is driven to rotate so that the product delivery means
By further rotating the feed drive gear that drives the cam disk and the cam disk,
Follow the cam groove to the product rack side
A product dispensing device for a vending machine , comprising: a protruding member that is driven . 2. A product detection sensor for detecting that the product located at the forefront has been delivered to the product unloading means,
The product dispensing device for a vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising: stopping driving of the product delivery means and closing the dispensing port based on a detection result of the product detection sensor. 3. The product dispensing device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism is provided in the product unloading means.