JP3924954B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vending machine for disaster countermeasures that can be used as a beverage and food supply source when a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake occurs and a lifeline in the area stops.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Vending machines include vending machines for cans, various beverages with jars, or snack foods. In addition, with the spread of vending machines, beverage vending machines are now widely deployed nationwide, including urban areas, and are installed in streets and buildings.
[0003]
This vending machine, as is well known, includes the bend mechanism, money handling mechanism, sales control unit, internal cooling / heating unit, internal lighting, etc. Operation and control are performed using.
[0004]
In addition, a storage battery is installed in the machine as an emergency power supply so that even when the commercial power supply fails, the vending machine can continue selling operations. Vending machines that have been switched to storage batteries so that the sales operation can be continued have already been proposed, and are known in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-68576, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-116379, and the like.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the event of a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake disaster and the local lifeline (electricity, water, gas, etc.) has stopped, it is important to provide water and other drinks and food as soon as possible to the residents in the disaster area It becomes.
[0006]
In this regard, vending machines deployed in the city store beverages and foods as products in the product storage racks in the aircraft. In this case, even if the lifeline is stopped due to a disaster, the sales function can be maintained, so that the vending machine can serve as a beverage and food supply base in the event of a disaster.
[0007]
However, as described above, vending machines that are equipped with storage batteries and can continue to sell products as a countermeasure against power outages have the following problems in the event of a large-scale disaster. .
In other words, in an emergency situation where a large-scale disaster such as the earthquake occurred and the lifeline was shut down, many victims evacuated without money, and these people wanted drinks and food. In many cases, products cannot be purchased with vending machines, and emergency distribution of beverages and foods by local governments etc. is delayed and does not function well.
[0008]
Therefore, the present invention is free for victims in disaster areas without having to pay for beverages and food stored in the product storage racks in an emergency when a large-scale disaster occurs and the lifeline is stopped. The purpose is to provide a vending machine having a disaster countermeasure function that can be provided.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a product storage rack equipped with a bend mechanism is mounted in a cabinet of a front door-attached cabinet, and the products are sold one by one by the operation of the bend mechanism based on the sales order. A vending machine that sells beverages and foods to be taken out to the outlet. During normal sales, the bend mechanism is operated by energization control from the commercial power supply. Equipped with a manual merchandise dispensing means that operates the mechanism to take out the merchandise, and in the event of an emergency when the commercial power supply stops, the manual merchandise dispensing means operates the bend mechanism to open the merchandise free of charge without opening the outer door Specifically, it is configured in the following manner.
[0010]
(1) Equipped with the manual merchandise dispensing means in the cabin.
(2) In the preceding paragraph (1), the manual product dispensing means is arranged in the machine so that it cannot be operated from outside the machine at all times, and is exposed to a state where manual operation is possible in the event of an emergency when the commercial power supply is stopped. To.
(3) As the manual product dispensing means, one end of a wire or a link is connected to a bend mechanism provided for each column of the product storage rack, and the other end of the wire or link is used as an operation end for manual operation.
(4) In the preceding item (3), the operation end of the wire or link is drawn out in front of the outer door.
[0011]
(5) In the preceding item (4), a small door with a lock device is provided on the front surface of the outer door so as to cover the operation end.
(6) In the preceding paragraph (5), the small door locking device is an electromagnetic locking device that normally receives power from a commercial power source and locks the small door in the closed position, and releases the lock in an emergency.
(7) In the preceding item (5) or (6), a manual lock device that manually opens the door after unlocking the lock device is provided.
[0012]
According to the vending machine having the above-described configuration, the small door is locked in the closed position so that the manual merchandise dispensing means cannot be operated from outside the machine at all times. If a local lifeline stops and a commercial power supply fails due to a disaster such as a scale disaster, the small doors are automatically unlocked, and the inventory items remaining in the vending machine warehouse are removed from outside the machine. It can be carried out by manual operation and provided to people in disaster areas as beverages and food for emergency discharge.
[0013]
Although it is difficult to immediately install vending machines with such disaster countermeasure functions in all areas, vending machines are installed at least in public facilities that serve as evacuation sites in the event of a large-scale disaster. Applying to will help greatly. In addition, if data such as the quantity of products sold before a power outage due to a disaster is stored in a non-volatile memory provided in the in-flight control unit, the quantity of products provided free of charge in an emergency can be confirmed later.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated examples.
First of all, the appearance of a vending machine for disaster countermeasures equipped with the above-mentioned manual-type product take-out means is shown in Fig. 1 (a), targeting a beverage vending machine equipped with a serpentine-type product storage rack in the warehouse. , (b). In the figure, 1 is a vending machine cabinet, 2 is an outer door placed on the front of the cabinet 1, 3 is a heat-insulated inner door, and 4 is a serpentine type product storage rack mounted in the cabinet. The front outer door 2 is provided with a display room 5 displaying product samples, an operation panel 7 equipped with a product selection button 6, a coin mech and the like, a product outlet 8, and an automatic locking device described below at one corner of the door surface. A small door 9 is provided, and an operation portion 10 of a manual product dispensing mechanism for releasing the bend mechanism of the product storage rack 4 by manual operation from the outside of the machine and delivering the product to the product outlet 8 is provided inside. Yes. In addition, 9a is a handle of the small door 9.
[0015]
Next, the structure of the bend mechanism equipped in the serpentine type product storage rack 4 and the product carry-out operation at the time of normal sales are shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). That is, the bend mechanism 11 includes an assembly of an upper flapper 11a and a lower flapper 11b linked to each other, an electromagnetic solenoid 11c for driving, and a return spring 11d. ), The lower flapper 11b protrudes into the product passage by the spring force of the return spring 11d, and the products (can products) 12 arranged in the lowest position are held at the sales standby position. Reference numeral 13 denotes a product passage width regulating plate. Here, when the solenoid 11c is turned on (excited) based on the sales command, the upper flapper 11a protrudes into the passage as shown in FIG. 2 (b) and holds the second product from the lowest position, and the lower flapper 11b. Retracts sideways from the merchandise passage. As a result, the products lined up at the bottom are discharged and fall downward, and are discharged to the product outlet 8 (see FIG. 1) via a product discharge shooter (not shown). Such a flap type bend mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-168879.
[0016]
With respect to the bend mechanism 11 having such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, in the embodiment of the present invention, a manual merchandise delivery via a fitting 11e to a link portion connecting the flappers 11a and 11b and the drive solenoid 11b. One end of a release wire (flexible pulling wire) 10a of the mechanism is connected, and this wire 10a is routed in the machine and its operation end (operation handle) 10b is provided on the front outer door 2. Further, it is pulled out to the operation unit 10 (see FIG. 1 (b)) of the above-described manual commodity delivery mechanism.
[0017]
With the above configuration, the wire 10a is in a relaxed state in the normal sales state, and the bend mechanism 11 releases the product 12 by driving the solenoid 11a based on the sales command without receiving the interference of the wire 10a. On the other hand, when the wire 10a is manually pulled upward from the standby state shown in FIG. 3 (b), the upper flapper 11a protrudes into the product passage as the wire 10a is pulled as shown in FIG. 11b retreats and the products 12 arranged in the lowest position fall and carry out downward. Further, when the wire 10a is loosened, it returns to the standby state shown in FIG. That is, by manually pulling the wire 10a of the manual merchandise dispensing mechanism without using the solenoid 11c of the bend mechanism 11, the bend mechanism 11 is released to release the merchandise 12 one by one (see FIG. 1). Can be carried out to
[0018]
The release operation wire 10a is connected to the bend mechanism 11 one by one in correspondence with each column of the product storage rack 4, and its operation ends are collectively drawn out to the front outer door.
[0019]
Next, the structure of the operation portion 10 of the manual product dispensing mechanism in which the operation ends of the release wire 10a are centrally arranged will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 (a) to (c) and FIGS. 5 (a) to (d). . That is, the operation unit 10 is provided at one corner of the outer door 2, and the operation end of the release wire 10a is drawn through the back wall of the concave box 10c, and an operation handle 10d is provided at the end of each wire. Install it. For example, the arrangement of the wire operation ends is matched with the arrangement of the product sample arranged in the display chamber 5 shown in FIG.
[0020]
1 is provided so as to cover the front surface of the operation unit 10, and the small door 9 is normally locked in the closed position by the automatic locking device 14 described below. Yes. In other words, the automatic locking device 14 has a hook-shaped latch 14a attached to the back surface of the small door 9, a lock pin 14b engaged with the latch 14a, a slider 14c to which the lock pin 14b is fixed, and a commercial power source 15 as a power source. When energized, the slider 14c is attracted upward to constitute an assembly with a solenoid 14d for driving the lock pin 14b to the lock position. Incidentally, 14e is a stepped screw for restricting the movement of the slider 14c fitted in the guide grooves 14c-1 of the slider 14c.
[0021]
With such a configuration, during normal operation of the vending machine, the renoid 14d is excited (ON) by the commercial power supply 15, and the lock pin 14b is hooked on the latch 14a together with the slider 14c as shown in FIG. Locked. Therefore, in this state, the small door 9 cannot be opened from the outside to operate the wire 10a of the manual commodity dispensing mechanism.
[0022]
On the other hand, when the local lifeline (electricity, water supply, gas) is stopped due to the occurrence of a large-scale disaster and the commercial power supply is also in a power failure state, the solenoid 14d is turned off, and the slider 14c has its own weight as shown in FIG. At the same time, the lock pin 14b and the latch 14a are disengaged and the small door 9 is unlocked. In this state, the handle 9a of the small door 9 is put on a hand to open the door, the wire handle 10d of the manual merchandise dispensing mechanism arranged inside the handle is grasped, and the release wire 10a is pulled to the front. Thus, the bend mechanism 11 of the product storage rack corresponding to the wire can be released and the product can be taken out freely as described in FIG.
[0023]
It should be noted that the small door 9 is displayed with an indication that the vending machine is a “disaster countermeasure vending machine” and “a product take-out operation procedure” when a disaster occurs. It is also possible to provide a mechanical counting device that counts and integrates the number of products delivered each time the wire 10a is pulled and the product is taken out.
[0024]
In the illustrated embodiment, in addition to the automatic locking device 14 described above, a magnetic catch 16 is provided as a manual locking device that restrains and holds the small door 9 in the closed position so that the small door 9 is manually opened after the automatic locking device 14 is released. The small door 9 is prevented from being opened without permission during a short power failure (instant interruption), and the small door 9 is locked again after the power is restored.
[0025]
In the illustrated embodiment, the bend mechanism 11 is manually released using the wire 10a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lever-type operation lever is provided at the operation end of the wire 10a. It is also possible to release the bend mechanism 11 by attaching a handle or by operating a handle from outside the apparatus using a link mechanism instead of the wire 10a. Further, the product storage rack and bend mechanism of the vending machine to be implemented by the present invention are not limited to the flapper type bend mechanism of the serpentine type product storage rack shown in the figure, but other pusher type and direct stack type product storage racks. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to.
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the vending machine of the present invention, normal merchandise sales are always performed by throwing in money, and in the case of an emergency where the lifeline is stopped due to the occurrence of a large-scale disaster, etc. Products left in the machine's cabinet can be carried out manually and provided to emergency victims free of charge as emergency-release beverages and food, allowing vending machines to be used in the event of a large-scale disaster. It can be used as a base for providing beverages and food.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1A and 1B are views showing the appearance of an entire vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a front view, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the structure and operation of a bend mechanism of a serpentine-type product storage rack mounted on the machine, where (a) is a standby state and (b) is a sales operation state. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing of a structure and operation | movement of the manual type goods delivery mechanism by this invention, (a) is a back view of a bend mechanism, (b), (c) is the standby of the bend mechanism explaining the goods delivery operation by manual operation, respectively. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the operation unit of the manual commodity delivery mechanism and the small door automatic lock device in FIG. 1 and the normal operation state, and FIG. , (B) is the right side view of (a) figure, (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in figure (a) [Figure 5] It is explanatory drawing of the unlocking operation | movement of the small door automatic locking device of FIG. 4 at the time of a source stop, and operation of a manual type goods delivery mechanism, (a) is a front view, (b) is a right view of (a) figure , (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in (a), and (d) is a state diagram in which the wire of the manual product dispensing mechanism is being pulled out.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine cabinet 2 Outer door 4 Commodity storage rack 8 Commodity exit 9 Small door 10 Operation part 10a of manual product delivery mechanism Release wire 10b Wire operation end 10d Operation handle 11 Bend mechanism 12 Product 14 Automatic Locking device 15 Magnetic catch (manual locking device)

Claims (8)

A vending machine that sells beverages and foods that is equipped with a product storage rack equipped with a bend mechanism inside a cabinet with a front door and that carries out the bend mechanism one by one according to the sales order. In the normal sales, the bend mechanism is operated by the energization control from the commercial power supply, and in the emergency when the commercial power supply is stopped, the manual merchandise delivery means for manually operating the bend mechanism and taking out the merchandise is provided. Equipped with an automatic vending machine which operates a bend mechanism by the manual merchandise dispensing means to open the merchandise free of charge without opening the outer door in an emergency when commercial power is stopped . 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said manual merchandise dispensing means is installed in the machine. 4. The vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the manual merchandise dispensing means is disposed in the machine so that it cannot be operated from outside the machine, and is exposed to a state where manual operation is possible in the event of an emergency when the commercial power supply is stopped. Vending machine characterized by that. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein one end of a wire or a link is connected to a bend mechanism provided for each column of the product storage rack as the manual product delivery means, A vending machine characterized in that the other end of the wire or link is an operation end for manual operation. 5. The vending machine according to claim 4, wherein the operation end of the wire or link is drawn out in front of the outer door. 6. The vending machine according to claim 5, wherein a small door with a lock device is provided in front of the outer door so as to cover the operation end. 7. The vending machine according to claim 6, wherein the lock device for the small door is an electromagnetic lock device that normally receives power from a commercial power source and locks the small door in the closed position, and releases the lock in an emergency. Vending machine characterized by that. The vending machine according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a manual lock device that manually opens a small door after the lock device is unlocked.

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