JP3932040B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vending machine capable of taking out a product to a product sales port at an upper position where the product stands upright and is easily taken out.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Normally, vending machines use gravity to drop downward from the product storage unit where products are stacked and stored, carry the products onto a cradle located at the bottom of the vending machine, and sell the products facing the cradle. It is configured so that the customer can take out the product from the mouth. In this case, the product is stored in the storage unit in the horizontal direction from the viewpoint of storage efficiency and is transported in the horizontal orientation, so that the customer is provided with the horizontal product, as in face-to-face sales. In addition, it is impossible to hand the product to the customer in the original standing posture from the conventional mechanism of the vending machine.
[0003]
Problems due to the product outlet being located at the bottom of the vending machine, that is, the customer must bend down when taking out the product, and the product is carried away to a position close to the floor. As a means to solve the ease of feeling, etc., there has already been proposed a vending machine that can lift the product once carried out to the tray using a wire and a motor and take out the product from the sales port provided at the top. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-128622 (pages 3-4, FIG. 1)
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The vending machine mentioned above has the advantage that it can be taken out without bending down because the sales outlet is at the top, and it has the advantage of considering small spaces and elderly people. Since the product is carried out in the landscape orientation, the customer is not different from the conventional vending machine in that the product is handed over in the landscape orientation. Therefore, if the product is a beverage stored in a can or bottle, the customer must stand up and drink the product again, and confirm that the product is definitely selected. However, the landscape orientation is inconvenient and does not necessarily have a favorable provision of products in consideration of customer use.
[0005]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of taking out a product in its original standing state and at a position where a customer can easily take out the product.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, according to the present invention, a transport unit disposed opposite to a carry-out port for unloading a product from a storage rack for storing the product, a wire for moving the transport unit up and down, and a top portion are disposed. A product sales port and a motor for driving a wire to transport the transport unit to the product sales port. The transport unit is composed of three tray parts, and the second and third sides are respectively provided on both sides of the central tray part. The saucer portion is connected, the center saucer portion has a recess that can accommodate the bottom of the product, and the second and third saucer portions are bent at the connection point with the center saucer portion according to the upper and lower sides of the wire. The product carried out on the second or third saucer portion by raising and lowering and pulling up the wire is raised and falls from the bottom of the product into the recess of the central saucer portion, becomes standing and is conveyed to the product sales outlet. The With this configuration, the product unloaded from the storage rack via the carry-out port is delivered onto the second or third tray part of the transport unit, and then the second and third dish parts are pulled up by the motor. As a result, the product on the saucer portion gradually rises from the horizontal position, slides into the recess of the central saucer portion from the bottom of the product, and is held in the standing state in the recess. With the subsequent pulling up of the wire, the central tray also rises, stops at the front of the product sales port located at the top of the vending machine, and the customer takes up the product in its normal position, that is, the original product. Can do.
[0007]
Moreover, according to this invention, the conveyance part arrange | positioned facing the carry-out port which carries out a goods from the storage rack which accommodates goods, the wire which raises / lowers a conveyance part, the goods sales port arrange | positioned at the upper part, conveyance And a motor for driving the wire to convey the part to the product sales port, the conveying part is composed of three saucer parts, and the second and third saucer parts are respectively connected to both sides of the central saucer part, The saucer portion has a recess that can accommodate the bottom of the product provided near both ends thereof, and a protrusion provided near the center, and the second and third saucer portions are arranged in the center according to the upper and lower sides of the wire. The product carried on the second or third saucer part by raising and lowering the wire at the connecting point with the saucer part is pulled up and dropped from the bottom of the product into the recess of the central saucer part. Standing up The product that has been transported to the product sales outlet and unloaded on the central tray part rotates by hitting the protruding part and falls into one of the depressions in the central tray part from the bottom of the product to stand up. It will be transported to the product sales outlet. With this configuration, the product unloaded from the storage rack via the carry-out port is delivered onto any of the central tray portion, the second tray portion, or the third tray portion of the transport section, and then the wire is moved to the motor. The second and third tray parts are pulled up by pulling up. As a result, the product on the second or third saucer portion gradually rises from the sideways posture, slides from the bottom of the product into one of the left and right dents in the central saucer portion, and is held upright in the dent. Is done. Since the product sent out on the central tray part hits the protruding part in a sideways posture, the product rotates with the bottom down, and the bottom of the product slides into one of the left and right recesses, and into the recess Holds upright. With the subsequent pulling up of the wire, the central tray also rises, stops at the front of the product sales port located at the top of the vending machine, and the customer takes up the product in its normal position, that is, the original product. Can do.
[0008]
Also, a guide slit for guiding the second and third saucers is provided, and a slide mechanism capable of expanding and contracting the length is provided in the second and third saucers, and the length of the saucer is reduced at the end of the guide slit. It is advantageous if the position of the saucer portion can be further raised. According to this configuration, when the wire is pulled up, the second and third tray parts are raised while being guided along the guide slit, and temporarily stops at the upper end of the guide slit. By working, the length is reduced, the central tray part is further raised, and the product can be taken out at a more suitable product sales outlet.
[0009]
It is advantageous that the depression in the central tray portion is substantially in the middle, so that products that slide down from either the left or right second and third tray portions can be smoothly accommodated in the depression.
[0010]
If the projecting portion of the central tray portion is provided at a position slightly deviated from the center, when the product carried out from the carry-out port corresponding to the central tray portion hits the projecting portion, the bottom of the product will be down. It is possible to clearly give the rotational force in such a direction, guaranteeing that the bottom side of the product is accommodated in the recesses provided on the left and right of the protrusion, and the rotational force in the direction that the upper part of the product is down acts Can be prevented.
[0011]
A door that closes the carry-out port after the product is carried out from the carry-out port so that the product sent out on the tray part does not jump out from the carry-out port to the storage rack side due to vibration applied while rising toward the sales port. Is preferably provided. Or the edge part which protruded in the circumference | surroundings of the saucer part may be provided, and it may be made for the mounted goods not to drop out from a saucer part.
[0012]
It is advantageous to provide a cushioning material on the surface of the protruding portion of the central tray portion and the surfaces of the second and third tray portions so that a large impact force does not act on the product that has dropped from the carry-out port. However, it is not preferable that the product has a very high frictional resistance so that the product is easily slipped off.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to examples shown in the drawings.
[0014]
FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. Reference numeral 1 denotes a vending machine, which includes a main body 2 having an open front surface, a heat-insulating inner door 3 that covers the front surface of the main body 2, and a front door 4 that covers the front surface of the inner door 3. A storage rack 5 for storing products is disposed in the main body 2, and in the example shown in the figure, bottles 6 are stacked and stored in a serpentine manner as products. Reference numeral 7 denotes a carry-out mechanism provided at the lower end of the storage rack 5, which is released by a sales signal and discharges the product to the shooter 8. Two exits 9 and 10 are disposed at the end of the shooter 8. The exit 9 is for the left storage rack 51, and the exit 10 is for the right storage rack 52. 11 is a merchandise sales opening provided on the front door 4, which is arranged near the position of the waist so that the merchandise can be taken out without bending down.
[0015]
A substantially trapezoidal frame 12 is disposed in front of the inner door 3 so as to face the carry-out ports 9, 10 and the product sales port 11. Are provided with openings 13 and 14, and the front plate 122 is provided with an opening 15 corresponding to the commodity sales port 11. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the front plate 122 is removed to make the drawing easier to see, and the opening 15 shows a position when the front plate 122 exists. In addition, it is preferable that the left and right side surfaces of the frame 12 are closed in order to prevent an accident in which the product jumps out. A transport unit 16 is disposed inside the frame 12, and the transport unit 16 includes a central tray part 161 and second and third tray parts 162 and 163 on the left and right sides thereof. The three saucer portions 162, 163 are hingedly connected to the central saucer portion 161, respectively. The central saucer portion 161 has a recess 166 large enough to accommodate the bottom of the product 6 in the illustrated example, and the left and right second and third saucer portions 162 and 163 have flat surfaces. It is possible to stably load a product in a horizontal direction that has been formed in the above-described manner and has been carried out from the carry-out port 9 or 10. The second and third tray parts 162 and 163 have a slide mechanism and are formed so that the two parts can slide relative to each other, and the details thereof will be described later.
[0016]
The lower ends of the wires 17 and 18 are fixed to the hinge connections 164 and 165 of the second and third saucer portions 162 and 163, respectively. The wires 17 and 18 are respectively connected to pulleys 19 and 20 provided at the other ends of the saucer portions. It is guided and extends upward, and its upper end is fixed to the wire winding shafts 21 and 22. A motor 23 is coupled to the wire winding shafts 21 and 22 via gears, and the wires 17 and 18 can be pulled up or pulled down by driving the motor 23. Further, the shafts of the pulleys 19 and 20 of the left and right tray portions 162 and 163 can move along guide slits 24 and 25 formed in the plate 122 at the front portion of the frame 12 (note that the guide slit 24 , 25 are formed on the plate 122 at the front of the frame and should not be visible in FIG. 1, but are shown for ease of understanding. Reference numerals 26 and 27 denote limit switches that detect the positions of the second and third tray portions 162 and 163 and stop the motor when the transport unit 16 reaches the final position corresponding to the product sales port 11.
[0017]
FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of an example of the structure of the second and third tray parts, and b is an enlarged front view. The tray portion is formed of two members 31 and 32. The member 32 has a shaft 33 on one end side, and this shaft 33 is inserted into a long groove 34 provided on the side of the member 31, and the shaft 33 passes through the long groove 34. By moving, the member 32 can slide on the member 31, and the total length L of the tray portion can be changed by adjusting the amount of sliding. A lower end 36 of a wire 35 is fixed to one side of the saucer portion, and the wire 35 is guided upward via a pulley 37 provided on the other side of the saucer portion. The pulley 37 has a protruding portion 38 on one side of the tray portion, and is guided along the guide slit using the protruding portion 38. Reference numeral 39 denotes a central saucer portion hinged 310 to the saucer portion.
[0018]
Next, the sales operation of the vending machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. Each of a and b in FIGS. 4 to 7 shows a front view and a side view of only a portion of the frame related to the conveyance of the product, and the other portions are omitted. When the customer inserts a coin or the like and operates the product selection button, the vending machine control unit issues a sales signal to the carry-out mechanism 7 if the sale is possible, the carry-out mechanism 7 is opened, and the product bottle 6 is put into the shooter 8. , Discharged to the outlet 13 or 14 according to the released storage rack, and placed on the second or third tray portion 162 or 163. FIG. 1 shows a case where the bottle 6 is carried out on the right tray portion 163. Next, the motor 23 starts driving and starts to pull up the wires 17 and 18. As a result, the shafts of the pulleys 19 and 20 of the second and third saucer portions 162 and 163 move upward along the guide slots 24 and 25, and the saucer portions 162 and 163 are gradually raised. As a result, the bottle 6 on the saucer portion 163 is also caused, and slides down on the saucer portion 163 with the bottom of the bottle 6 facing down toward the recess 166 of the central saucer portion 161 (FIG. 4).
[0019]
Further, when the saucer portions 162 and 163 are raised by the wires 17 and 18, the bottle 6 is accommodated upright in the recess 166 of the central saucer portion 161 (FIG. 5). When the wires 17 and 18 are further pulled up, the central saucer portion 161 moves away from the bottom of the frame 12 and begins to rise, and the shafts of the pulleys 19 and 20 of the second and third saucer portions 162 and 163 are guided by the guide slots 24, The top of 25 is reached. At this time, the central tray portion 161 reaches just below the opening 15 corresponding to the commodity sales port 11 (FIG. 6). When the wire is further pulled up, the slide mechanism described in FIG. 3 of each saucer portion 162, 163 works, the length starts to decrease, the central saucer portion 161 further rises slightly, and the limit switches 26, 27 are operated. At this point, the motor 23 stops. At this time, the central tray portion 161 is positioned in front of the sales outlet 11 (FIG. 7). Therefore, the customer can take out the upright bottle 6 from the sales outlet 11 of the front door. The same applies to products that are discharged from the left storage rack and delivered from the carry-out port onto the left second tray portion 162. When the bottle 6 is removed by the customer, the motor 23 is driven in the opposite direction, the wires 17, 18 are pulled down, the saucer portions 161, 162, 163 are lowered and returned to the initial position at the bottom of the frame 12, Wait for the next product to be taken out.
[0020]
FIG. 8 shows a main part of another embodiment of the present invention, where a is a front view, b to d are explanatory views of sales operations, and the same parts as those in FIG. The difference of this embodiment from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is that the storage racks are configured in three rows, have three carry-out ports corresponding to them, and the transport unit has a corresponding configuration. In other words, three carrying outlets 81, 82, 83 corresponding to three storage racks are provided, and the transport unit 16 has the same configuration as the embodiment of FIG. 1 with respect to the second and third tray parts 162, 163. The central tray portion 161 has depressions 84 and 85 provided at both left and right ends thereof, and a protrusion 86 provided substantially at the center.
[0021]
The sales operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 will be described. The second and third saucer portions 162 and 163 are exactly the same as those in FIG. 1, and the second or third saucer portion 162 or 163 is turned sideways. The bottles carried out to the right are respectively housed in the left and right depressions 84 or 85 of the central tray portion 161 in a standing state and conveyed to the sales outlet. On the other hand, the bottle 6 discharged sideways from the central storage rack is discharged from the carry-out port 82 toward the central tray portion 161 and falls onto the tray portion 161 so that the side surface of the bottle hits the protruding portion 86. (Figure 8b). At that time, the bottle 6 rotates so that the bottom portion faces downward due to the unbalance with respect to the protruding portion 86 of the bottle 6 (FIG. 8 c), slides down from the bottom portion toward one recess 84, and the bottom portion of the bottle is placed in the recess 84. It is held in a housed form (FIG. 8d). Next, if the wire is pulled up, the product is conveyed up to a position facing the product sales port in a standing state as in the case of FIG. Therefore, even when there are three storage racks, the products released from each storage rack are discharged onto the central tray portion 161, the second tray portion 162, or the third tray portion 163, respectively. It is conveyed to the sales outlet in a state.
[0022]
Although the example of the bottle is shown as the product in the above embodiment, the same applies to the can product. In addition, it is absolutely necessary for the bottom of each product to be housed in the recess. For that purpose, the positional relationship between the orientation of the product and the tray portion when the product is stored in the storage rack is unambiguous. Must be fixed to Since this point is dangerous only by relying on the attention of the operator who stores the product, it is necessary to provide a mechanism that automatically sets the direction of the product when storing the product in the storage rack. Is desirable. One method is to form the product entry port of the storage rack in the same vertical section as the product and prevent the product from entering the storage rack unless the product is put in a predetermined direction. Also, depending on the product, the position of the center of gravity is approximately in the center of the product, and when the product is unloaded to the central tray part of the embodiment of FIG. The force may not work. As a method for dealing with this point, the position of the protruding portion of the central tray portion can be slightly shifted from the center. In this way, if the projecting portion is made to contact the top of the product from the position of the center of gravity of the product facing sideways, a rotational force that always tries to bring the bottom of the product down acts on the product.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, even if the product is stored sideways, the product is provided to the customer in a standing state, i.e., maintaining the original attitude of the product. You can receive products with a feeling similar to face-to-face sales without embrace, and at the same time, the products are offered at a high position, so there is no need to bow down to take out, and even a purchase operation in a narrow place feels difficult I won't let you.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment shown in FIG.
3A is a plan view and FIG. 3B is a front view of an example of a tray part of the present invention.
4 is an explanatory diagram of a sales operation of the embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the sales operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;
6 is an explanatory diagram of the sales operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
7 is an explanatory diagram of the sales operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a front view of the main part, and b to d are explanatory views of the selling operation of different embodiments of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 2 Main body 3 Inner door 4 Front door 5, 51, 52 Storage rack 6 Bottle 7 Unloading mechanism 8 Shooter 9, 10 Unloading port 11 Product sales port 12 Frame 121, 122 Plate 13, 14 Opening 15 Opening 16 Conveying part 161 Central tray portion 162 Second tray portion 163 Third tray portion 17, 18 Wire 19, 20 Pulley 21, 22 Wire winding shaft 23 Motor 24, 25 Guide slit 31, 32 Plate portion member 33 Shaft 34 Long groove 35 Wire 36 Lower end 37 of the wire Pulley 38 Protruding portion 39 Receptacle portion 310 Hinge connection 81, 82, 83 Unloading port 84, 85 Depression 86 Protruding portion

Claims (5)

Conveying unit arranged facing the carry-out port for carrying out the product from the storage rack for storing the product, a wire for moving the conveying unit up and down, a product sales port arranged at the top, and conveying the conveyance unit to the product sales port And a motor for driving the wire, the transport unit is composed of three saucer parts, and the second and third saucer parts are connected to both sides of the center saucer part, respectively. The second and third saucer portions are raised and lowered so as to bend at the connection point with the central saucer portion according to the up and down of the wire, and the wire is pulled up to raise the second or third The vending machine is characterized in that the product carried out on the tray part is raised and falls from the bottom of the product into a recess in the central tray part, and is brought upright and conveyed to the product sales port. Conveying unit arranged facing the carry-out port for carrying out the product from the storage rack for storing the product, a wire for moving the conveying unit up and down, a product sales port arranged at the top, and conveying the conveyance unit to the product sales port And a motor for driving the wire, the transport unit is composed of three saucer parts, and the second and third saucer parts are respectively connected to both sides of the center saucer part, and the center saucer part is near both ends thereof Each having a recess capable of accommodating the bottom of the product and a protrusion provided near the center, and the second and third saucer portions are connected to the center saucer portion according to the upper and lower sides of the wire. The product carried out on the second or third saucer part is raised by raising and lowering so as to be bent at the top and falling down from the bottom of the product into one of the recesses of the central saucer part. become The product that has been transported to the product sales outlet and unloaded onto the central tray part rotates by hitting the protruding part, falls into one of the depressions in the central tray part, and stands up from the bottom of the product. A vending machine that is transported to a product sales outlet. Guide slits for guiding the second and third saucer portions are provided, the second and third saucer portions have a slide mechanism capable of expanding and contracting the length, and the length of the saucer portion is reduced at the end of the guide slit. 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the position of the tray portion can be pulled up. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine has a recess at substantially the center of the central tray portion. 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the vending machine has a protrusion at a position shifted from the center of the central tray portion.

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