JP3579694B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vending machine provided with a column for storing products such as cans, bottles, and PET bottles of juice, coffee, tea, and the like in a lying state.
[0002]
[Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vending machine as described above has a plurality of serpentine columns arranged in the front-rear direction inside a main body, and an insertion port provided on a front surface of the main body. Then, the product inserted from the insertion port is stored in the storage port at the upper end of the column by rolling on the input rail provided so as to be inclined downward toward the rear.
[0003]
The loading rail is supported on the left and right side walls of the column by a plurality of shafts, but the loading rail is fixed to the shaft and cannot be removed from the column.
[0004]
Therefore, when the main body has a plurality of columns in the front-rear direction and the main body can be divided into two blocks in the front-rear direction, the input rail is fixed to the column as described above. And the rear plate, so that it can be divided with the block. However, such a split type input rail requires a connecting mechanism for the front plate and the rear plate, resulting in a problem that the structure is complicated and the cost is increased.
[0005]
In addition, in recent vending machines, plastic bottles have also been sold at the same time as conventional cans and bottles, but unlike plastic bottles and cans, this plastic bottle is not limited to a circular cylinder with a circular cross section. However, since there is also a prismatic type having a rectangular cross section, there is a problem that the product is jammed on the way without rolling the input rail.
[0006]
In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a vending machine in which the mounting method of the loading rail is easy and the rolling machine is easy to roll even with a prismatic PET bottle.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a can, a bottle, a column for storing stacked products such as PET bottles, the product launches path followed accommodating port located at the upper end of the column, the closing path A shaft provided on the left and right side walls of the vehicle, and a loading rail which forms a bottom plate of the loading path, is detachably engaged with the shaft, and is arranged to be movable in the front-rear direction which is the loading direction. In a vending machine in which the loading rail is moved in the front-rear direction and the width of the product in the storage port is switched according to the diameter of a thick can and a thin can, a pivot is provided on a horizontal fulcrum above the upper end of the column. A pivoting member, a substantially central portion of a side portion of the input rail, a movable member connecting the pivoting member, and a vertically arranged side of the column. A connecting member connected to the member, and a lower end supported by the connecting member; A discharge width switching plate movably arranged at the lower portion of the column. By moving the loading rail in the front-rear direction, the rotation member is rotated via the movable member, The connecting member is moved up and down by the rotation of the moving member, whereby the carry-out width switching plate is moved to switch the product carry-out width according to the diameter of the thick can and the thin can.
[0008]
A vending machine according to a second aspect is the vending machine according to the first aspect, wherein the carry-out width switching plate is movable in a front-back oblique direction.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, the charging rail is formed by coating a metal plate such as a steel plate with a low-friction lubricant that reduces frictional resistance of the surface.
[0010]
The vending machine according to claim 4 is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the column is provided in the vending machine main body in a plurality of rows in the front-rear direction, and the main body is configured to be separable into a front main body and a rear main body. It is.
[0011]
According to the vending machine of the first aspect, the loading rail can be detachably engaged with the shafts provided on the left and right side walls of the column, so that the loading rail can be removed from the column. Further, by moving the loading rail in the front-rear direction, the width of the product to be loaded in the storage opening of the column can be switched according to the diameter of the large and thin cans.
[0012]
Also, by moving the loading rail in the front-rear direction, the rotating member is rotated via the movable member, thereby moving the connecting member up and down, and moving the unloading width switching plate to change the diameter of the large and thin cans. Can be switched according to the width of the product.
[0013]
According to the vending machine of claim 3, by coating a low friction lubricant on the surface of the charging rail, even if the product is not slippery like a prismatic plastic bottle, the product is not jammed. It is stored in the column from the column storage opening.
[0014]
According to the vending machine of the fourth aspect, since the loading rail is detachably provided to the column, the column can be configured to be separable into the front main body and the rear main body.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
(Structure of column box 10)
FIG. 1 is a drawing of a column box 10 housed in a vending machine cabinet that sells cans, bottles, cylindrical plastic bottles, and prismatic plastic bottles (hereinafter, simply referred to as cans C) according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is a side sectional view, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1A.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 1, inside the column box 10, five columns 12 to 20 are provided in the front-rear direction. The column box 10 is hung by a hanging portion 22 provided on the ceiling of the cabinet, and is separable into a front block 24 and a rear block 26. That is, the front block 24 is provided with two columns 12, 14, and the rear block 26 is provided with three columns 16, 18, 20.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 1, a storage port 28 for storing the can C is opened at the upper end of the column 20 in the last row. , A loading rail 32 is provided. At the lower end of the column 20, a product carrying device 34 is provided. A support piece 35 that supports the lowermost can C of the column 20 protrudes from the product discharge device 34.
[0019]
The storage port 36 is also provided in the second column 18 from the rear, and a charging rail 40 is provided between the column 18 and the charging port 38 located at the second level from the front of the column box 10.
[0020]
The center column 16 has the same structure, and the second column 14 from the front has the same structure. It is to be noted that only the front column 12 has no loading rail, and the can C is directly stored in the storage opening 42 from the front of the column box 10.
[0021]
(Structure of front shaft 50, middle shaft 52, rear shaft 54)
As shown in FIG. 11, a front shaft 50, a middle shaft 52, and a rear shaft 54 that detachably support the input rail 32 are installed on left and right side walls 76, 78 of the front block 24 and the rear block 26 of the column box 10, respectively. Have been. As shown in FIG. 8, the front shaft 50 is installed in an inverted U-shaped front moving hole 80 opened in the left and right side walls 76 and 78 of the column. Further, the middle shaft 52 is provided in middle moving holes 82, 82 extending in the front-rear direction and opened to the left and right side walls 76, 78. Further, the rear shaft 54 is fixedly mounted on the circular holes of the left and right side walls 76 and 78.
[0022]
(Structure of the input rail 32)
The structure of the input rail 32 will be described.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 2, the input rail 32 is formed of a single steel plate, and a low-friction lubricant such as wax (for example, High Coat LF (trade name) manufactured by Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.) is provided on the surface thereof. Coated. Both sides of the input rail 32 are bent downward, and a pair of front claws 44 with a rear opening protrude from the front, and a pair of middle pawls 46 with a front opening almost at the center of the input rail 32. Is protruding. A pair of rear claws 48 project downward from the rear end of the input rail 32 by cutting and raising. The front shaft 50 is engaged with the pair of front claws 44, the middle shaft 52 is engaged with the pair of middle claws 46, 46, and the rear shaft 54 is engaged with the rear claws 48. I do.
[0024]
(Structure of the front fixture 56)
In order to fix the front shaft 50 together with the pair of front claws 44, 44 to the input rail 32, a front fixing member 56 is attached to the bottom front end of the input rail 32 as shown in FIGS. . The front fixture 56 is made of synthetic resin as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 6 and is fixed by a pair of protrusions 58 and 60 cut downward from the front end of the input rail 32. The front fixture 56 has an insertion portion 62 that allows the front shaft 50 to move in the front-rear direction and can be inserted from behind, and has a projection 63 formed of an inclined surface in the middle of the insertion portion 62. Have. The protrusion 63 serves to prevent the front shaft 50 from easily coming off. A groove 64 into which the protrusion 58 can be inserted from above is provided, and a handle 66 for manually opening and closing the groove 64 in the front-rear direction is provided. The groove 64 is bent so that the protrusion 58 can be pressed and fixed. Further, the protrusion 60 is engaged with the rear end of the insertion portion 62, and sandwiches the insertion portion 62 between the protrusion 58 and the protrusion 60.
[0025]
(Structure of the middle fixture 58)
As shown in FIG. 5, a middle fixing member 58 made of synthetic resin is provided at the center of the bottom surface of the loading rail 32, and supports the middle shaft 52 together with the pair of middle claws 46, 46. As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 7, the middle fixture 58 is provided with an insertion portion 70 so that the middle shaft 52 can be moved in the front-rear direction and can be inserted from below. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the middle fixture 68 is fixed by projections 72 and 74 which are cut and raised from the input rail 32 to come into contact with each other.
[0026]
(Structure of the width adjusting member 104)
A width adjusting member 104 is provided at a front end of the upper surface of the input rail 32. The role of the width adjusting member 104 is to adjust the width of the input rail 32 to match the length of the input rail 32 even when inputting cans C having different axial lengths so that the can C does not rotate on the input rail 32. It is to make it. Hereinafter, this structure will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0027]
An adjustment plate 108 is vertically provided from the left end of the substrate 106 placed on the front of the upper surface of the input rail 32. In addition, a stopper 110 is integrally provided at a front portion of the substrate 106. A protrusion 112 is provided on the lower surface of the stopper 110 and can be engaged with a plurality of fixing holes 114 provided at the front end of the loading rail 32 along the left-right direction. That is, the position of the width adjusting member 104 is adjusted by engaging the protrusions 112 with the fixing holes 114 respectively. A protrusion 116 is provided at the front end of the stopper 110 so that the protrusion 112 of the stopper 110 can be easily removed from the fixing hole 114. Then, by pinching the protruding piece 116, the protruding portion 112 comes off from the fixing hole 114. Further, an engagement projection 118 is provided on the lower surface of the central portion of the substrate 106. The engagement protrusion 118 is movable along an adjustment hole 120 which is provided slightly behind the front end of the insertion rail and is long in the left-right direction.
[0028]
(When the loading rail 32 is moved in the front-back direction)
Referring to FIG. 8, a case will be described in which the loading rail 32 is moved in the front-rear direction to change the position for the large can C having a large diameter and the position for the thin can C having a small diameter. .
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 8A, the position for the thick can C is a state in which the input rail 32 is moved to the front and the product storage width of the storage port 28 is maximized. In this position, the front shaft 50 is positioned at the front end of the front moving hole 80 and is positioned at and engaged with the front end of the front claw 44. On the other hand, the middle shaft 52 is located substantially at the center of the middle moving hole 82, and is engaged with the upper end of the middle claw portion 46.
[0030]
When moving from the position for the thick can C to the one for the thin can C, the serviceman holds the input rail 32 by hand so that the front shaft 50 moves rearward along the front moving hole 80, and 52 is moved backward so as to move along the middle moving hole 82. Also in this case, the front shaft 50 moves while being engaged with the front claw portion 44, and the middle shaft 52 also moves while being engaged along the middle claw portion 46 (FIGS. 8B to 8D). )reference).
[0031]
When the front shaft 50 is located at the rear end of the front moving hole 80 and the middle shaft 52 is located at the rear end of the middle moving hole 82, as shown in FIG. The storage port 28 of the column 20 is in a state where the storage port 28 is in the narrowest state, and has a size suitable for storing the thin can C.
[0032]
(Structure for changing the product discharge width of the product discharge device 34)
The input rail 32 not only changes the storage opening 28 for the large cans C and the small cans C as described above, but also changes the product discharge width of the product discharge device 34 for the large cans C and the thin cans C at the same time. It has a structure that can be used. Hereinafter, the structure will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0033]
Discharge width switching plates 124 are disposed at opposing positions of the product discharge device 34. As shown in FIG. 10, the carry-out width switching plate 124 is formed by bending a metal plate and facing the product carry-out device 36 at a position opposite to the plate main body 126, plate side surfaces 128 extending from both sides thereof, 128, and a plate ceiling surface 129 extending from the upper end of the plate body 126, and the lower end of the plate body 126 is bent.
[0034]
An upper shaft 130 and a lower shaft 132 are provided horizontally above and below the pair of left and right plate side surfaces 28, respectively. The upper and lower shafts 130 and 132 pass through long holes 134 and 136 provided in both side walls 76 and 78 of the column, respectively. The carry-out width switching plate 124 is supported by the upper shaft 130 and the lower shaft 132. Here, the shape of the elongated hole 134 will be described. The front end of the hole cut obliquely in the front-rear direction is further continuously cut upward, and the rear end of the hole provided obliquely is further connected downward. It is provided. That is, the long hole 134 is constituted by a first hole in the vertical direction located at the front, a second hole cut at an angle, and a third hole cut at the rear in the vertical direction. Have been. Further, the elongated hole 136 has the same configuration as the elongated hole 134. When the upper shaft 130 and the lower shaft 132 reach the positions of the first holes of the long holes 134 and 136, the distance between the product discharge device 36 and the discharge width switching plate 124 (hereinafter, referred to as the product discharge width) increases. , Can be sold. On the other hand, when the upper shaft 130 and the lower shaft 132 are located at the positions of the third holes of the long holes 134 and 136, the product discharge width becomes narrow, and only the thin can C can be sold.
[0035]
Outside the side walls 76 and 78 of the column 20, a pair of connecting plates 154 and 154 are provided. The lower end is connected to both ends of the upper shaft 130 of the carry-out width switching plate 124.
[0036]
On the other hand, in the vicinity of the upper end of the connecting plate 154, a rotating member 203 is provided so as to be rotatable around the shaft 206. A pair of rotating plates 204, 204 are provided on both sides of the rotating member 203. The turning plate 204 has a substantially triangular shape, and the upper end of a connecting plate 154 is connected to the rear end thereof so as to be freely rotatable. The connection between the two is connected by a first connection shaft 208, and the first connection shaft 208 is rotatably provided along an arc-shaped long hole 210 provided on both side walls 76 and 78. The arc-shaped long hole 210 is cut out around the shaft 206. (See Fig. 12)
The loading rail 32 and the rotating plate 204 are connected by a pair of movable plates 212,212. The pair of movable plates 212, 212 connect the middle shaft 52 and the second connection shaft 214 arranged on the rotating plate 204 outside the side walls 76, 78. The second connection shaft 214 is also movable along the elongated holes 216 provided in the side walls 76 and 78 (see FIG. 12).
[0037]
An operation state of the above configuration will be described.
[0038]
(1) At the time of throwing the thick can C When throwing the thick can C, the throwing rail 32 is moved forward as described above. As a result, the movable plate 212 also moves forward, the rotating plate 204 rotates about the shaft 206, and the upper ends of the first connecting shaft 208 and the connecting plate 154 rise. That is, the link mechanism is constituted by the movable plate 204. When the connecting plate 204 rises, the carry-out width switching plate 24 becomes the product carry-out width for the thick can C.
[0039]
(2) At the time of feeding the can C When feeding the can C, the feeding rail 32 is moved rearward as shown by the dotted line in FIG. As a result, the movable plate 212 moves backward, the rotating plate 204 rotates around the shaft 206, and the first connecting shaft 208 is processed. That is, the connecting plate 154 is processed. Thereby, the carry-out width switching plate 24 is used for the thin can C.
[0040]
As described above, when the loading rail 32 is moved forward, the storage opening 28 is used for the large can C, and the product discharge width by the discharge width switching plate 24 is also used for the large can C. When the loading rail 32 is moved rearward, the storage opening 28 is also narrowed and used for the thin can C, and the carry-out width switching plate 24 is also used for the thin can C.
[0041]
(When removing the input rail 32)
The column box 10 can be separated into the front block 24 and the rear block 26 as described above. In such a case, it is necessary to remove the input rail 32.
[0042]
When removing the insertion rail 32, the front shaft 50 is removed from the opening of the front claw portion 44, and the middle shaft 52 is also removed from the opening of the middle claw portion 46. The rear shaft 54 is also removed from the opening of the rear claw portion 48. As a result, the input rail 32 can be removed from the column box 10, and the column box can be separated into the front block 24 and the rear block 26 in the front-rear direction.
[0043]
(Structure to prevent product clogging)
Even if a cylinder-shaped plastic bottle having a rectangular cross section, which is a kind of can C, is sold, the charging rail 32 of this embodiment has a low-friction lubricant coated on its surface. Even a PET bottle is slippery, and does not cause product clogging in the middle of the input rail 32.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the vending machine of the present invention, the charging rail can be separated from the column, and switching between the thin can C and the thick can C can be performed by moving in the front-rear direction.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1A is a side view of a column box, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a loading rail.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the input rail.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vicinity of an input port of an input rail.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a front claw portion and a front fixing device, and a relation between a middle claw portion and a middle fixing device.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a front fixture.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a middle fixture.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for switching a charging rail from a large can C to a thin can C;
FIG. 9 is a side view of a loading rail and a column.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the loading rail and the carry-out width switching plate as viewed from behind.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a column.
FIG. 12 is a side view showing the relationship between the rotating plate and the movable plate.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Column Box 20 Column 24 Front Block 26 Rear Block 28 Storage Port 30 Input Port 32 Input Rail 34 Commodity Unloading Device

Claims (4)

A column for storing products such as cans, bottles, plastic bottles in a stacked manner, and a product introduction path following a storage opening located at the upper end of the column ,
A shaft erected on the left and right side walls of the charging path,
Forming a bottom plate of the loading path, detachably engaging the shaft, and having a loading rail movably arranged in the front-back direction that is the loading direction;
In a vending machine in which the loading rail is moved in the front-rear direction, and the product loading width of the storage port is switched according to the diameter of a thick can and a thin can ,
A rotating member pivotally supported by a horizontal fulcrum above the upper end of the column;
A substantially central portion of a side portion of the input rail, and a movable member that connects the rotating member,
A connecting member vertically arranged on the side of the column, the upper end of which is connected to the rotating member;
A discharge width switching plate supported at a lower end of the connecting member and movably disposed at a lower portion of the column;
By moving the loading rail in the front-rear direction, the rotating member is rotated via the movable member, and the connecting member is moved up and down by the rotation of the rotating member. The vending machine is characterized in that the width of the product is switched according to the diameter of the thick can and the thin can by moving the product . The vending machine according to claim 1 , wherein the carry-out width switching plate is movable in a front-rear oblique direction . 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the input rail is formed by coating a metal plate such as a steel plate with a low-friction lubricant for reducing a frictional resistance of a surface. The column is provided with a plurality of rows in the front-rear direction on the main body of the vending machine,
The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the main body is configured to be separable into a front main body and a rear main body.

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