JP3760490B2 - Vending machine product dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a product dispensing apparatus for a vending machine that dispenses tobacco and boxed products stacked and stored in a product column one by one from the lowest product.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional product dispensing device for a vending machine, for example, one disclosed in JP-A-6-20147 is known. The product dispensing device includes a product column for horizontally stacking and storing products, a dispensing opening formed on the front surface of the lower part of the product column, a dispensing mechanism that forms the bottom of the product column and pushes the product forward from the dispensing opening, It consists of The payout mechanism includes a base body that supports the product from the lower side and a conveyor belt that faces the lower side of the lowest product from the gap between the base bodies. Projections are formed at two locations on the surface of the conveyor belt, and the projection hits the rear end of the lowest product as the conveyor belt travels and pushes it forward.
[0003]
In addition, the payout mechanism is provided with a substantially triangular attitude control cam facing from the lower side at the rear end of the product, and when the next sale product is tilted backward as the lowest order product is pushed out. The attitude control cam rotates to lift the rear part of the next sale product and prevent the next sale product from being bridged.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a conventional product dispensing device, there is no particular problem when the size of the product to be sold (width in the front-rear direction) is constant, but when selling products of various sizes, The prevention of bridging of the next sale product by the attitude control cam will not function effectively unless it is structured so that the width of the product column can be adjusted by the attachment or the position of the attitude control cam can be adjusted in the longitudinal direction. . On the other hand, when the width of the product column and the position of the attitude control cam can be adjusted as described above, the structure becomes complicated and the cost is increased, and the adjustment work becomes complicated. May occur.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and is a vending machine product dispensing device that can reliably dispense products of various sizes without requiring any adjustment work. The purpose is to provide.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the product dispensing apparatus according to the present invention includes a product column in which products are stacked and stored, and a product column arranged below the product column, and the stacked products are arranged one by one from the lowest to the outside of the product column. and a dispensing mechanism to dispense substantially horizontally, dispensing mechanism comprises a pushing means for pushing the lowermost item into dispensing direction, it faces the rear end side of the dispensing direction of the next販商article on the lowermost product, dispensing direction And a reverse feed means for moving the rear end of the next sale product in the direction opposite to the payout direction in conjunction with the extrusion means. .
[0007]
In this case, the reverse feeding means is a conveyor belt extended in a certain length in the payout direction, or the reverse feed means is a plurality of rollers arranged in an overlapping manner in the payout direction. ,preferable.
[0008]
[Action]
According to the product dispensing apparatus of claim 1, when the pushing means is operated and the lowest product is pulled out from the lower side of the next sale product and pushed out from the product column, the next sale product is later Leaning down. At this time, the rear end side of the next sale product faces the reverse feeding means, and the next sale product moves to a position where the rear end comes into contact with the rear wall of the product column by the reverse feed means. By the way, there is a large space between the front / rear inner width of the product column and the front / rear width of the product, and when the product is accommodated near the front wall of the product column, and the number of products accommodated is reduced, If the next sale product is dragged to the front wall when paying out the lowest product, the front end of the tilted next sale product is supported on the front wall of the product column and the frequency of causing a bridge increases. In such a case, the reverse feed means having a certain length in the payout direction attracts the rear end of the next sale product to a position where it abuts against the rear wall of the product column, so that bridge can be prevented and the next sale product can be It is possible to always wait at a certain position.
[0009]
According to the commodity dispensing apparatus of the second and third aspects, the reverse feeding means is a conveying belt extended in a certain length in the dispensing direction, or a plurality of rollers arranged in an overlapping manner in the dispensing direction. As a result, in the product column with large dimensions in the front-rear direction, the rear end of the next-sold product can always face the conveyor belt or roller even if the position of the next-sale product in the front-rear direction is not constant. The next sale product can be reliably moved in the direction opposite to the payout direction with a simple structure and without requiring adjustment.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a product dispensing device for a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This commodity dispensing apparatus is mounted on a vending machine that sells relatively lightweight box-shaped commodity such as cigarettes. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the commodity dispensing apparatus, and FIGS. Sectional drawing of each part, FIG. 5 thru | or FIG. As shown in these drawings, the product dispensing apparatus 1 includes a product column 2 that stores and stores products A, and a dispensing mechanism 3 that is disposed below the product column 2.
[0011]
The product column 2 is formed in such a manner that the inner wall of the front wall 2a and the rear wall 2b thereof is matched with the largest product A (the width in the front-rear direction) of the products A to be handled, and the product A is in a stacked state. Is stored horizontally. At the lower part of the front wall 2a of the commodity column 2, a dispensing opening 4 having a height that allows one commodity A to pass through is formed, and the commodity A is dispensed forward from the dispensing opening 4 (see FIG. 6). .
[0012]
The payout mechanism 3 includes a housing 5 that also serves as a support base for the stacked products A, three pulleys 6a, 6b, and 6c incorporated in the housing 5, and a triangular shape between the three pulleys 6a, 6b, and 6c. An endless conveyor belt (extrusion means) 7 that is stretched over, a drive motor 8 that travels the conveyor belt 7 in the payout direction, a reduction gear train 9 that decelerates the rotation of the drive motor 8 and outputs it to the conveyor belt 7, and It comprises a reverse feed device (reverse feed means) 10 that slightly moves the commercial product A in the direction opposite to the payout direction.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 5 is divided into a left chamber 12 and a right chamber 13 with a central gap 11 therebetween, and the upper surfaces of the left chamber 12 and the right chamber 13 can support the product A from below. It is formed so as to be flat. As shown in FIG. 2, the right chamber 13 mainly accommodates the reduction gear train 9 and the reverse feed device 10, and the central gap 11 mainly includes three pulleys 6a as shown in FIG. , 6b, 6c and the conveyor belt 7 are accommodated. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the left chamber 12 mainly accommodates a drive motor 8, a motor substrate 14, and switches described later. The drive motor 8 is attached to the motor board 14 and extends to the position of the reduction gear train 9 in the right chamber 13 so that the tip of the drive motor 8 crosses the housing 5 (see FIG. 1).
[0014]
The input side of the reduction gear train 9 meshes with the output gear 15 of the drive motor 8, and the output side meshes with the input gear 16 provided on the rotating shaft of the front pulley 6a. As a result, when the drive motor 8 rotates, the rotational power decelerated via the reduction gear train 9 is transmitted to the front pulley 6a, and the conveyor belt 7 is driven in the payout direction at a predetermined speed using this pulley 6a as the drive pulley. Run.
[0015]
The conveyor belt 7 is configured by a timing belt, and is disposed at a position slightly lowered from the upper surfaces of the left chamber 12 and the right chamber 13 so that the upper side does not contact the product A. Two pressing members 17, 17 for pushing out the product A from the product column 2 are integrally projected on the surface of the conveyor belt 7. Each pressing member 17 is formed in a cross-sectional hook shape, and includes a standing portion 17a that directly contacts the rear end of the product A and a buffer piece portion 17b that cushions the fall of the next sale product A. Further, the two pressing members 17 and 17 are provided on the conveying belt 7 so that the other pressing member 17 reaches the position of one pressing member 17 when the conveying belt 7 that rotates and rotates halfway makes a half turn. It has been. That is, the conveyor belt 7 rotates half a cycle with respect to the payout operation of one commodity A.
[0016]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a sold-out lever 18 is disposed in the left chamber 12 of the housing 5 so as to face the lower side of the product A. When the product A is sold out, the sold-out lever 18 is moved upward. It jumps up and operates the sold-out switch 19. Further, a stop switch 20 is disposed at the position of the lower pressing member 17 in the standby position (state shown in FIG. 3). When the pressing member 17 reaches this position, the stop switch 20 is activated and the conveyor belt is operated. 7 is actually stopped (actually, the drive motor 8 stops by rotating several steps).
[0017]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reverse running device 10 is provided in an opening 21 formed on the rear side of the upper surface of the right chamber 13 so as to face the inside of the right chamber 13. A pair of reverse running pulleys 22a and 22b is provided, and a reverse running belt 23 stretched between the pair of reverse running pulleys 22a and 22b. A small gear 24 is axially attached to the reverse pulley 22b on the rear side, and a gear 25 provided on the rotation shaft of the rear pulley 6b is meshed with the small gear 24. That is, when the rear pulley 6 b rotates as the transport belt 7 travels, the reverse running belt 23 travels in the opposite direction to the transport belt 7 in synchronization with this. The upper surface of the reverse running belt 7 has a position and a length on which the rear end of the tilted next sale product A rides even if the product A to be handled varies in size. It can be supported. The reverse belt 23 is configured with a relatively small frictional force, and the product A slides on the reverse belt 23 in the state shown in FIG.
[0018]
Here, with reference to FIG. 5 thru | or FIG. 7, a series of payment operation | movement of the goods delivery apparatus 1 of an Example is demonstrated. FIG. 5 shows a sales standby state. In this standby state, the front part of the product A is supported by the buffer piece 17b of one pressing member 17, and the rear part is supported by the reverse belt 23 of the reverse running device 10. . When the drive motor 8 starts to rotate according to the sales command from this state, the conveyor belt 7 starts traveling in the payout direction and the reverse running belt 23 starts running in the direction opposite to the payout direction. Then, one pressing member 17 comes off from the lowest sales product A (FIG. 5), and the other pressing member 17 goes around the rear pulley 6b and hits the rear end of the sales product A and pushes it forward. go. When the sale product A is pushed forward, the next sale product A on it is tilted backward and the rear end abuts against the reverse running belt 23 so as to be left behind (FIG. 6). . Then, the next sale product A is pulled backward by the reverse running belt 23 and moves backward to a position where it hits the rear wall 2b of the product column 2. At the same time, the sales item A is paid out in a forward manner so as to be pulled out. When the conveyor belt 7 makes a half turn and enters the state shown in FIG. 5C, the stop switch 20 is activated, and the apparatus stops in this standby state.
[0019]
In this way, in the present embodiment, the reverse sale belt 23 moves the next sale product A to the position where it hits the rear wall 2b of the product column 2, so the next sale product A that leans backward is lowered. Even if the front end of the bridge supports the front wall 2a of the product column 2, this can be surely eliminated, and the next sale product A waits at a certain position where the rear end abuts against the rear wall 2b. Can be made. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably and stably pay out the product A.
[0020]
Further, since the reverse running belt 23 has a certain length in the payout direction, even the products A having various sizes can be reliably moved rearward, and the products A having different sizes are sold. Even in this case, there is no need to change the position of the reverse running belt 23 or to provide an attachment to the product column 2, and the product A can be paid out with a simple structure.
[0021]
8 and 9 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reverse running device 10 is composed of three rollers 30, 30, 30 arranged in the payout direction. The three rollers 30, 30, 30 are arranged so as to overlap each other in the payout direction, and input rotational power from the rear pulley 6 b via the intermediate gears 31, 31, respectively. . Each roller 30 rotates in the direction opposite to the payout direction, and moves the next sale merchandise A as appropriate. As the roller 30, an eccentric rotating roller or a substantially triangular roller may be used. In such a case, the frictional force with the product A can be increased.
[0022]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the next sale product A is moved backward to the position where it hits the rear wall of the product column. It can be stable.
[0023]
10 to 13 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reverse feeding device 10 includes a cam 31 and a reverse feeding plate 32.
A small gear 32 is axially attached to the cam 31, and a gear 25 provided on the rotation shaft of the rear pulley 6 b is meshed with the cam 31. One end of the reverse feed plate 32 is pivotally supported on the eccentric shaft 34 of the cam 31 so as to be rotatable. One end of the reverse feed plate 32 is supported by the eccentric shaft 34 of the cam 31, and sliding projections 35 are provided on both sides of the other end. The sliding projection 35 is fitted in a sliding groove 36 provided in the housing 5 and supports the reverse feed plate 32 so as to be movable back and forth. Further, the reverse feed plate 32 is provided with a bent portion 37 in the middle, and a slit 38 orthogonal to the product conveyance direction is provided on the upper surface in contact with the product so that the product does not slip appropriately. .
[0024]
The reverse feed plate 32 moves in conjunction with the rotation of the cam 31. First, in the state where the eccentric shaft 34 of the cam 31 shown in FIG. Although the position is not upward from a certain support base, it rotates clockwise in FIG. 11 as the gear 25 rotates. As shown in FIG. 12, when the cam 31 is rotated 90 degrees from the lowermost position, the cam 31 approaches the support base from the vicinity of the bent portion 37. From the state of FIG. 12 to the state of FIG. 13, the reverse feed plate 32 protrudes upward and moves in the direction opposite to the product conveyance direction.
[0025]
Therefore, in the state located below the support base, the reverse feed plate 32 does not apply force to the product, so that the product can be more stably transported and the product can be fed backward. it can.
Further, in the third embodiment, the other end of the reverse feed plate 32 is slidably supported. However, as shown in FIG. 14, the other end of the reverse feed plate 32 is driven by a cam 38 that rotates synchronously. It is also conceivable to configure by supporting the above.
[0026]
In the present embodiment, a conveying belt having a pressing member protruding from the surface is used as an extruding means. However, a product using a chain or a member that simply pushes and retracts the pressing member can extrude a product. If present, the structure is arbitrary. Similarly, the structure of the reverse feeding means is arbitrary as long as it can move the next sale product in the direction opposite to the payout direction in conjunction with the pushing means. In the embodiment, the push-out means and the reverse feed means run synchronously by a common power source (drive motor), but use different power sources and run at different timings. You may do it.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the commodity dispensing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to reliably dispense various kinds of commodity with a simple structure and without any adjustment work, and the last one It has the effect that it can be sold stably until it reaches the product.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a commodity dispensing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.
FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of the commodity dispensing apparatus according to the first embodiment and shows a standby state.
FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of the product dispensing apparatus according to the first embodiment and shows a state where the product is pushed out.
FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view of the product dispensing apparatus according to the first embodiment and shows a finished state of product extrusion.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a commodity dispensing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a commodity dispensing apparatus according to a third embodiment.
11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 11 and shows a state where the eccentric shaft of the cam is in the lowest position.
12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 11 and shows a state in which the eccentric shaft of the cam is rotated 90 degrees from the lowest position.
13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 11 and shows a state where the eccentric shaft of the cam is in the uppermost position.
FIG. 14 is a view showing a modification of the third embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Product delivery apparatus 2 Product column 3 Delivery mechanism 5 Housing 7 Conveyor belt 10 Reverse feed belt 17 Press member 23 Reverse feed belt 30 Roller A Product (next sale product)

Claims (3)

A product column for stacking and storing products, and a payout mechanism that is arranged below the product column and horizontally pays out the stacked products one by one from the lowest one to the outside of the product column,
The delivery mechanism has an extrusion means for pushing out the lowest product in the delivery direction, and a rear end side of the next sale product on the lowest product, and has a certain length in the delivery direction. A product dispensing apparatus for a vending machine, comprising reverse feed means for moving the rear end of the sold product in a direction opposite to the dispensing direction. 2. The commodity dispensing apparatus for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the reverse feeding means is a conveyor belt extending a certain length in the dispensing direction. 2. The commodity dispensing apparatus for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the reverse feeding means is a plurality of rollers arranged to overlap each other in the dispensing direction.

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