JP4007449B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a product passage formed extending in the front-rear direction of the product shelf, and is movable in relation to the product passage and stopped in front of the designated product passage, and the foremost position of the product passage. It is related with the vending machine provided with the bucket which can transfer the goods in to.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As this type of vending machine, for example, the one shown in Patent Document 1 is known.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-302140
According to Patent Document 1, the bucket is moved in front of a designated merchandise path by a combination of X-direction movement and Y-direction movement performed independently of each other, and the X-direction movement motor or Y-direction movement is performed. The bucket is stopped by stopping the driving of the motor.
[0005]
And after engaging the gear provided in the bucket side with the gear provided in the product passage side, the gear provided in the product passage side is rotated by rotating the gear on the bucket side. . Thereby, the pusher connected to the gear provided on the product passage side is advanced, and the product on the product passage is pushed out.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In Patent Document 1, positioning of the bucket with respect to the product passage is performed by motor braking control. However, the motor is easily affected by the internal temperature, and there is a problem that the bucket stop position varies depending on the internal temperature. When the stop position of the bucket is deviated, a meshing failure occurs between the bucket side gear and the product passage side gear, and the product on the product passage cannot be sent out.
[0007]
Moreover, in the said patent document 1, the position of the bucket after being positioned is only maintained by the motor being held in a stopped state. With this, when a particularly heavy product is transferred to the bucket. The impact can cause the bucket to move down slightly and the gears to disengage or become incomplete.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and its object is to accurately position a bucket in front of a designated product passage and to stably hold the position even during a product transfer operation. It is to provide a vending machine that can be used.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The vending machine of the present invention includes a plurality of product passages extending in the front-rear direction of a product shelf, a bucket that is stopped in front of the designated product passage and can transfer products sent from the product passage , a vending machine provided with a positioning means for positioning the bucket relative to the article passage provided in said bucket, said positioning means engaging groove provided on the commodity passage is protruding toward the commodity passage And a pressing member that presses the merchandise passage from a position below the pin toward the pin, and the bucket is lowered by the reaction of the pressing force of the pressing member against the merchandise passage. The bucket is positioned with respect to the product passage by sandwiching the passage between the pin and the pressing member .
[0010]
The pressing member swings, for example, with a shaft member supported by the bucket as a fulcrum, and a force that lowers the entire bucket acts as a reaction of the upward pressing force that the pressing member acts on the product passage. Thereby, the upward movement of the bucket is restricted, and the lowering of the bucket is also restricted by the pin being caught in the engagement groove.
[0011]
For this reason, even if the stop position of the bucket by the motor control is slightly shifted, the bucket can be forcibly positioned to an accurate position by the pin and the pressing member. Further, the movement of the bucket in the vertical direction is restricted, and this state is stably maintained unless the operation of the pin and the pressing member is released. Therefore, an external force (product transfer) The bucket will not drop even if a load of time is applied.
[0012]
Further, since the bucket is fixed with respect to the product passage by sandwiching the product passage between the pin and the pressing member, it is possible to regulate the positional deviation in the left-right direction during the product transfer.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
(Composition of product passage)
FIG. 13 shows a main part of the vending machine according to the present embodiment. Inside the cabinet, a plate-shaped product shelf 26 is provided substantially horizontally. In the figure, only one stage of product shelves 26 is shown, but a plurality of similar product shelves are provided in the cabinet. The merchandise shelf 26 is made of, for example, a hot-dip galvanized steel sheet (JIS symbol SGCC).
[0015]
A shaft member 29 is provided in front of the product shelf 26 so as to extend in the lateral direction (a direction orthogonal to the product feed direction X). The shaft member 29 is passed through and supported by the lower part of the front end of each partition wall 32 to be described later.
[0016]
A plurality of driven rollers 30 are arranged along the axial direction of the shaft member 29. Each driven roller 30 is rotatable with respect to the shaft member 29. A space for allowing the driven roller 30 to rotate is secured between the front end portion of the commodity shelf 26 and the shaft member 29. The driven roller 30 is made of, for example, POM (polyoxymethylene) resin.
[0017]
A plurality of conveyor belts 27 are hung on the product shelf 26 along the front-rear direction (product feed direction X). Specifically, the conveyor belt 27 is an endless belt made of polyester, for example, and is between the driven roller 30 disposed in front of the product shelf 26 and the curved rear end (see FIG. 15) of the product shelf 26. It is multiplied by.
[0018]
Note that a configuration similar to that of the shaft member 29 and the driven roller 30 provided in the front may be provided behind the product shelf 26, and the conveying belt 27 may be hung between these driven rollers. With such a configuration, the conveyance belt 27 can be driven more smoothly.
[0019]
Each conveyor belt 27 is connected to a product fall-preventing member 28 standing on the upper surface (product mounting surface) side of the transport belt 27, and the product fall-preventing member 28 is driven in the product feed direction X along with the driving of the transport belt 27. Go forward.
[0020]
A partition wall 32 is detachably attached to the product shelf 26 on the side of the conveyor belt 27. The partition wall 32 has a long plate shape extending along the extending direction of the conveyor belt 27, that is, the product feeding direction X.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 15, the engagement protrusions 5 and 42 are formed to protrude from the lower surface of the partition wall 32, while the engagement protrusion 5 can be engaged with the product shelf 26 as shown in FIG. 14. An engaging hole 51 into which the engaging hole 50 and the engaging protrusion 42 can be engaged is formed, and the partition wall 32 is positioned with respect to the commodity shelf 26 by these engagements, and is detachably attached.
[0022]
As described above, the product path 2 in the present embodiment is configured by directly hanging the transport belt 27 on the product shelf 26 and attaching the detachable partition wall 32 to the side of the transport belt 27. .
[0023]
As shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 15, a plurality of products S are received in close contact with each other along the front-rear direction (product feeding direction X). Each product S is placed on the transport belt 27. When the transport belt 27 is driven in the product feed direction X and the gate 3 is opened as will be described later, the product at the foremost position facing the exit of the product passage 2 is the product. It is transferred to a bucket that is positioned and stopped in front of the passage 2.
[0024]
(Partition wall configuration)
FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the front end side of the partition wall 32. The partition wall 32 is configured by incorporating a gate mechanism, which will be described later, into a front end portion of a long plate material (made of metal) 95. A protrusion 96 is formed on the bottom of the case 4 of the gate mechanism, and the protrusion 96 is fitted into a hole formed in a bottom surface 95a of the plate member 95 that is bent in an L shape, thereby positioning the gate mechanism. .
[0025]
In the case 4, a plurality of recesses defined by ribs as shown in FIG. 16 are formed on the side surface opposite to the side surface shown in FIG. 22, and the gate mechanisms are formed in these recesses. A member is accommodated. The side surface on which the recess is formed is covered with a plate material 95 to protect each member from dust and the like and to prevent it from falling off the case 4.
[0026]
The case 4 is made of a resin material, and as shown in FIG. 22, a notch 97 is formed in the lower part of the front end, and the shaft member 29 described above is fitted into the notch 97. The shaft member 29 is fitted so as to expand a constricted part formed in the middle of the notch 97, and the constricted part is prevented from falling downward.
[0027]
The claw portion 5 provided on the bottom side of the case 4 as with the projection 96 is engaged with an engagement hole 50 (see FIG. 14) formed in the product shelf 26, whereby the gate mechanism is connected to the product shelf 26. Is positioned and attached. Further, the engagement protrusion 42 (see FIG. 15) formed on the rear side of the plate member 95 is engaged with the engagement hole 51 (see FIG. 14) formed in the product shelf 26.
[0028]
(Configuration of gate mechanism)
FIG. 16 shows the opposite side of the gate mechanism shown in FIG. In the drawing, the plate member 95 covering the side surface is shown broken. In the state shown in FIG. 16, the gate 3 is in the closed position, and in this closed position, the gate 3 blocks the product delivery port of the product passage 2 (state shown in FIG. 13). Furthermore, the state shown in FIG. 16 is a state in which the gate 3 is in the first position located at the commodity delivery port. When the gate 3 is in the first position, the protrusion of the product from the product delivery port is restricted.
[0029]
The gate mechanism mainly includes an elongated plate-like gate 3 and gate driving means for rotating and linearly moving the gate 3.
[0030]
The gate driving means has the following configuration.
[0031]
A gate drive shaft 6 that extends from the front (product outlet) of the product passage 2 toward the rear is integrally fixed to the back surface on one end side of the gate 3. The gate drive shaft 6 is fitted in grooves 7 and 8 formed on the inner surface of the case 4 on the front end side and the rear end side, and is guided by the grooves 7 and 8 so as to be reciprocable along the product feed direction X. It has become. The gate drive shaft 6 is made of, for example, a resin material.
[0032]
On the rear end side of the gate drive shaft 6, first and second projecting portions 9 and 10 projecting in the circumferential direction are formed. The first protrusion 9 is a ring-shaped member fitted to the gate drive shaft 6, and the second protrusion 10 is integrally formed with the gate drive shaft 6.
[0033]
The rear end portion 11 of the gate drive shaft 6 has a diameter larger than the width of the groove 8, and the rear end portion 11 comes into contact with the back surface of the rib in which the groove 8 is formed, thereby The front is prevented from coming off.
[0034]
A rib 12 projects from the front end of the gate drive shaft 6 to the first projecting portion 9 on the surface thereof. The rib 12 is formed integrally with the gate drive shaft 6. In the rib 12, the front half 12a extends linearly along the extending direction of the gate drive shaft 6, and is twisted by 90 ° with respect to the front half 12a, followed by the rear half 12b.
[0035]
A slider 13 is disposed below the gate drive shaft 6. The slider 13 is fitted in a slider sliding groove 14 opened on the front end side of the case 4, and is guided by the groove 14 so as to be linearly reciprocable along the product feed direction X.
[0036]
A coil spring 15 is disposed in a compressed state between the rear wall of the slider 13 and the rear wall of the case 4, and the slider 13 is urged forward by the coil spring 15. The rod 16 extending rearward from the rear wall of the slider 13 passes through a through hole 17 formed in the rear wall of the case 4, and the rear end portion 16 a of the rod 16 has a diameter larger than that of the through hole 17. Therefore, when the rear end portion 16a of the rod 16 contacts the rear wall of the case 4, the forward movement of the slider 13 is restricted.
[0037]
A pair of guide members 19a and 19b are integrally provided on the upper part of the front end side of the slider 13 (see FIGS. 19 and 20). The guide members 19a and 19b are opposed to each other with their positions shifted with respect to the extending direction of the gate drive shaft 6. The opposing surfaces 98a and 98b of the respective guide members 19a and 19b are inclined with respect to the extending direction of the gate drive shaft 6, and the opposing surfaces 98a and 98b are parallel to each other. A guide groove 18 is formed as a gap between the facing surfaces 98a and 98b.
[0038]
The rib 12 of the gate drive shaft 6 is fitted in the guide groove 18. As will be described later, the guide groove 18 also moves linearly along the extending direction of the gate drive shaft 6 as the slider 13 moves linearly. State is always maintained. That is, the rib 12 and the guide groove 18 are slidably fitted.
[0039]
The slider 13 and the gate drive shaft 6 are in a cooperative relationship via a lever 20 disposed on the rear end side of both. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 21, the lever 20 is rotatable around a shaft portion 20 a inserted into a boss hole 21 formed on the inner surface of the case 4.
[0040]
A U-shaped notch 20b is formed at the upper end of the lever 20 as shown in FIG. 21, and the notch 20b is formed between the first and second projecting portions 9 and 10 in the gate drive shaft 6. The shaft is slidably fitted.
[0041]
The lower end portion of the lever 20 is located in a recess 13a formed in the rear end portion of the slider 13 in the non-operating state of the slider 13 shown in FIG.
[0042]
At the time of sales standby, the gate mechanism is in the state shown in FIG. That is, the gate 3 is closed across the product delivery port, and the back side of the gate 3 is in the first position in contact with the vertical surface of the product delivery port, so that the product facing the product delivery port is held in the product passage 2. ing.
[0043]
Next, the bucket will be described.
[0044]
(Overall configuration of bucket)
FIG. 1 shows an external perspective view of the bucket 1. The state shown in the figure is a state in which the rear side (inlet side) facing the commodity passage 2 described above is directed to the front side of the page. In the illustrated state, the front side (exit side) facing the front door of the vending machine provided with the product outlet is directed to the back side of the page.
[0045]
The bucket 1 has a box shape in which the lower third of the upper surface, the rear surface, and the front surface are opened, and a bucket-side belt 36 provided below and two bucket-side belts 36 facing each other The side walls 22 and 23 and the flaps 24 provided on the front surface and openable / closable around the upper end portion define a space in which a product can be accommodated.
[0046]
In both the partition walls 22 and 23, a product detection switch including a pair of a light emitting element 25 and a light receiving element 35 is provided on the entrance side facing the product passage 2. As will be described later, when a product is sent out from the product passage 2 and starts to move to the bucket 1, the product blocks light from the light emitting element 25 to the light receiving element 35 through the round hole 34, and the product is stored in the bucket 1. Then, the light receiving element 35 again receives the light from the light emitting element 25.
[0047]
The bucket side belt 36 is an endless belt made of, for example, rubber, and is hung between a pair of pulleys 37 and 38 disposed before and after the bucket 1. Both pulleys 37 and 38 are horizontally supported between the side wall portions 22 and 23 and are rotatably supported.
[0048]
A rotating shaft 41 extending in the lateral direction is disposed on the rear side (front side of the paper) of the bucket 1, and a driving roller 40 is integrally provided at the center of the rotating shaft 41. . As will be described later, the rotating shaft 41 and the driving roller 40 are arranged at the standby position shown in FIG. 1 and the operating position shown in FIG. The position of contact with the transport belt 27).
[0049]
Further, in conjunction with the movement of the drive roller 40 to the operating position, the pin 33 built in the inner surface side of the one side wall portion 23 protrudes toward the product passage 2 (see FIG. 2).
[0050]
Further, the driving roller 40 can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions by a driving roller rotating mechanism provided on the outer surface side of the side wall portion 23.
[0051]
Hereinafter, the driving roller moving mechanism, the pin operating mechanism, and the driving roller rotating mechanism will be described.
[0052]
(Drive roller moving mechanism)
Both ends of the rotation shaft 41 integral with the drive roller 40 are rotatably supported by swing plates 46 and 54 provided on the left and right sides of the bucket 1, respectively. The swing plates 46 and 54 are respectively supported at both ends of a shaft member 45 passed between the side wall portions 22 and 23, and can swing in the front-rear direction with the shaft member 45 as a fulcrum.
[0053]
FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view below one side wall 22, and as shown in FIG. 6, a long hole 74 is formed in the swing plate 46, and a slide shaft 47 described later is formed in the long hole 74. One end of the is penetrating. In the other swing plate 54, a long hole 60 is formed as shown in FIG. 3, and the other end of the slide shaft 47 penetrates through the long hole 60.
[0054]
As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, which are perspective views of the bucket bottom portion side, the slide shaft 47 is disposed extending in the lateral direction at the bottom portion of the bucket 1, and is movable in the front-rear direction of the bucket 1. .
[0055]
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, two coil springs 73 are hung between the slide shaft 47 and the swing plate 46. That is, one end of each coil spring 73 is hung on the slide shaft 47, and the other end is hung on a portion formed by bending a part of the swing plate 46.
[0056]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, the other swing plate 54 also has two coil springs 70 hung between the slide shaft 47 and a portion formed by bending a part of the swing plate 54. ing.
[0057]
The coil springs 73 and 70 function as a biasing unit that applies a biasing force to the driving roller 40 and presses it against the conveyor belt 27 at a position where the driving roller 40 contacts the conveyor belt 27 of the commodity passage 2.
[0058]
As shown in FIG. 7, a cam 87 and a drive mechanism for driving the cam 87 are disposed at the bottom of the bucket 1. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the cam 87 is integral with the gear 80 and is eccentric with respect to the rotation center 84 of the gear 80. Teeth are formed on the peripheral surface of the gear 80 on the side away from the cam 87, and three protrusions 81, 82, 83 (see FIG. 7) are formed on the peripheral surface near the cam 87.
[0059]
Referring to FIG. 7, a motor 44 is disposed on the side of the gear 80, and a worm 76 is connected to a drive shaft of the motor 44. A gear 77 that meshes with the worm 76 is disposed on the side of the worm 76. A gear 78 that meshes with the gear 77 is disposed on the side of the gear 77. The gear 78 is integrally provided with a gear 79 having a smaller diameter than that of the gear 78 so that the rotation centers coincide with each other, and the gear 79 meshes with the gear 80 described above.
[0060]
With the configuration as described above, when the drive shaft of the motor 44 rotates, the worm 76, the gear 77, the gear 78, the gear 79, and the gear 80 are rotated, and the cam 87 rotates about the rotation center 84 of the gear 80. Is done. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the 180-degree cam 87 is rotated from the standby position shown in FIG.
[0061]
As the gear 80 rotates, the protrusion 81 provided on the peripheral surface also moves in the circumferential direction. In the state shown in FIG. 7, the protrusion 81 contacts the tip roller portion of the operating lever 86 of the micro switch 85. The micro switch 85 is turned on by inclining the operating lever 86 in contact therewith. The micro switch 85 is a micro switch for detecting the cam standby position. When the micro switch 85 is turned on, it is detected that the cam 87 is in the standby position.
[0062]
The micro switch 85 for detecting the cam standby position overlaps the micro switch 85 for detecting the cam operation position. In FIG. 8, a cam operation position detection micro switch 85 ′ (shown by a dotted line) is superimposed below the cam standby position detection micro switch 85. When the protrusion 83 or the protrusion 82 comes into contact with the tip of the operating lever 86 ′, the cam operation position detecting micro switch 85 ′ is turned on.
[0063]
Corresponding to the positions of the microswitches 85 ′ and 85, the projection 83 is formed at a position near the cam 87 in the thickness direction of the gear 80 as shown in FIG. 10 (the projection 82 is also the same). As shown in FIG. 11, the portion 81 is formed to extend longer in the direction away from the cam 87 than the projection 83 (82).
[0064]
Further, the cam 87 is disposed so as to fit within the slide plate 56 shown in FIG. 9 (see FIGS. 10 and 11). Both end portions of the slide plate 56 are bent in an L shape, and the above-described slide shaft 47 is passed between the bent portion 56a on one end side and the cam 87 (see FIG. 10).
[0065]
As shown in FIG. 9, a long hole 56c is formed in the slide plate 56 along the front-rear direction, and the rotary shaft 84 of the gear 80 passes through the round hole 88 positioned in the long hole 56c. Then, the movement of the slide plate 56 along the front-rear direction is guided.
[0066]
(Pin actuation mechanism)
Next, the operation mechanism of the pin 33 will be described with reference to FIGS. Guide pins 71 and 72 provided on the side wall portion 23 are fitted into grooves formed on the inner surface side of the pin 33 so that the pin 33 is supported. The pin 33 is guided by the guide pins 71 and 72 and is linearly movable in the left-right direction in the drawing.
[0067]
A rack 57 is formed on the upper surface of the pin 33, and the rack 57 meshes with a gear 58 that is rotatably provided on the side wall portion 23 above the pin 33. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the side of the gear 58 that faces the pin 33 meshes with teeth 55 b formed at the upper end of the arm 55.
[0068]
The arm 55 is rotatable about a shaft member 59 passed between the side wall portions 22 and 23, and a long hole 55 a is formed at a lower end portion of the arm 55 from the swing plate 54. One end portion of the protruding rotating shaft 41 penetrates freely.
[0069]
(Drive roller rotation mechanism)
As shown in FIG. 3, a motor 43 is disposed below the side wall portion 23, and a worm 61 is connected to a drive shaft of the motor 43. A gear 62 that meshes with the worm 61 is disposed above the worm 61. A gear 63 that meshes with the gear 62 is disposed above the gear 62. The gear 63 is integrally provided with a gear 64 having a smaller diameter than that of the gear 63 so that the rotation centers coincide with each other, and the gear 64 meshes with a gear 65 disposed on the side thereof.
[0070]
A gear 66 having a smaller diameter than that of the gear 65 is provided integrally with the gear 65 so that the centers of rotation coincide with each other, and the gear 66 meshes with a gear 67 disposed on the side thereof.
[0071]
The gear 67 meshes with a gear 68 disposed on the side thereof, and the gear 68 meshes with a gear 53 (see FIG. 1) integral with the pulley 37 on which the bucket side belt 36 is hung.
[0072]
An endless belt 52 is hung between the rotating shaft of the gear 68 and a pulley 49 (see FIG. 1) coupled to one end of the rotating shaft 41 of the drive roller 40.
[0073]
Further, a one-way clutch is built in a pulley 37 on which a portion of the bucket side belt 36 facing the product passage 2 is hung.
[0074]
As shown in FIG. 12, the one-way clutch has a structure in which a plurality of cylindrical rollers 92 are arranged between an inner ring 90 that rotates integrally with the gear 53 and an outer ring 91 that contacts the bucket side belt 36. A tapered surface 93 is formed on the outer ring 91 side, and if the roller 92 is on the tapered surface 93 side as shown in the drawing, the inner ring 90 and the outer ring 91 are compressed and cannot rotate. It can rotate freely in a wide space on the left side that deviates from the tapered surface 93.
[0075]
Therefore, in FIG. 12, when the inner ring 90 rotates in the clockwise direction, the roller 92 moves to the tapered surface 93 side and fits in a narrow space, so that the inner ring 90 and the outer ring 91 are integrated in the same direction (clockwise). Rotate. When the inner ring 90 rotates counterclockwise, the roller 92 rotates in a wide left space, and the rotational force of the inner ring 90 is not transmitted to the outer ring 91, and only the inner ring 90 rotates counterclockwise. In the present embodiment, in FIG. 3, when the gear 53 that rotates integrally with the inner ring 90 rotates in the clockwise direction, the one-way clutch is “on” and the bucket side belt 36 is driven to the right, and the gear 53 is When rotating counterclockwise, the one-way clutch is “disengaged” and the bucket belt 36 is not driven.
[0076]
(Bucket operation and product unloading operation)
Next, the operation of transferring the product on the product passage 2 to the bucket 1 will be described with reference to the timing chart shown in FIG.
[0077]
When the merchandise purchaser pushes the merchandise selection button of the vending machine, the bucket 1 moves in front of the designated merchandise path 2 and stops by an XY movement mechanism of the bucket 1 (not shown). At this time, the bucket 1 faces the product passage 2 on the front side in FIG.
[0078]
After t1 (for example, 0.1 second) has elapsed since the bucket 1 stopped, the cam motor 44 is driven to rotate forward. Accordingly, the worm 76, the gear 77, the gear 78, the gear 79, and the gear 80 shown in FIG. 7 are rotated, and the cam 87 integrated with the gear 80 moves from the standby position shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. Begins rotating counterclockwise around 84.
[0079]
When the cam 87 reaches the position shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, the contact with the projection 81 is released, the micro switch 85 for detecting the cam standby position is turned off, and the cam 83 is brought into contact with the projection 83. The operation position detecting micro switch 85 ′ is turned on from off, and the drive of the cam motor 44 is stopped in response to the detection signal.
[0080]
The slide shaft 47 moves to the product passage 2 side in conjunction with the movement of the cam 87 described above. That is, when the cam 87 rotates from the state of FIG. 10, the slide shaft 47 is pushed toward the product passage 2 by the contact with the protruding portion of the cam 87 (see FIG. 11). At this time, the bent portion 56a of the slide plate 56 is also pushed by the slide shaft 47 and moved to the product passage 2 side.
[0081]
When the slide shaft 47 moves to the product passage 2 side, both end portions of the slide shaft 47 push the inner wall surfaces of the long holes 74 and 60 of the swing plates 46 and 54, so that the swing plates 46 and 54 cause the shaft member 45 to move. It swings around the fulcrum in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. As the swing plates 46 and 54 swing, the drive roller 40 having both ends of the drive shaft 41 supported by the swing plates 46 and 54 comes into contact with the conveyor belt 27 shown in FIGS. Moved to position.
[0082]
As the slide shaft 47 is moved from the state shown in FIG. 10 to the state shown in FIG. 11, the coil springs 73 and 70 hung between the slide shaft 47 and the swing plates 46 and 54 are extended and the restoring force thereof is increased. However, this acts as a force for urging the swing plates 46 and 54 in the direction of the arrow in the state shown in FIG. Accordingly, a force in the direction of the arrow is also applied to the driving roller 40 supported by the swing plates 46 and 54, and this is a force for pressing the driving roller 40 against the conveying belt 27.
[0083]
As a result, as shown in FIG. 18, the driving roller 40 clamps the conveying belt 27 between the driven roller 30 and increases the contact friction between the driving roller 40 and the conveying belt 27 to rotate from the driving roller 40. The driving force can be reliably transmitted to the conveyor belt 27 .
[0084]
Further, as the drive roller 40 moves, the rotation shaft 41 of the drive roller 40 pushes the elongated hole 55a (see FIG. 4) of the arm 55 in the upper left direction in FIG. It rotates clockwise about (see FIG. 5). By the rotation of the arm 55, the gear 58 is rotated in the clockwise direction, and the pin 33 engaged with the gear 58 and the rack 57 protrudes toward the product passage 2 side.
[0085]
As described above, the pin 33 protrudes and the driving roller 40 as a pressing member for the conveying belt 27 is pressed against the conveying belt 27. Next, the bucket 1 is positioned by the pin 33 and the driving roller 40. Will be described.
[0086]
As shown in FIG. 17, the pin 33 abuts against the front end surface of the slider 13 that is a driving member of the gate 3, and pushes the slider 13 backward against the urging force of the coil spring 15. Enters the sliding groove 14 (which also functions as an engaging groove for positioning) 14 of the slider 13. When the driving roller 40 comes into contact with the conveyor belt 27 and applies a force that presses the conveyor belt 27 from below, a force that lowers the bucket 1 acts as a reaction (see FIG. 18).
[0087]
As the bucket 1 is lowered, the pin 33 is also lowered, contacting the lower inner wall surface of the sliding groove 14 as shown in FIG. 18, and further lowering of the pin 33 and the bucket 1 is restricted. In this way, the bucket 1 is positioned. At this position, the height of the upper surface of the bucket side belt 36 is substantially the same as that of the conveying belt 27 on which the product is mounted. Further, the bucket side belt 36 faces the conveyance belt 27 by forming a gap smaller than the product depth dimension with the conveyance belt 27.
[0088]
The positioning means which concerns on this invention is comprised by the above. According to the present embodiment, even if the stopping position of the bucket 1 is slightly shifted, the bucket 1 is accurately positioned with respect to the product path 2 by sandwiching the product path 2 between the pin 33 and the driving roller 40. It can be carried out. Further, even if a force (for example, a load when a product is transferred or a reaction force when the driving roller 40 is rotated) is applied to the bucket 1 from the outside, the pin 33 is caught in the sliding groove 14 of the slider 13. Thus, the lowering of the bucket 1 is regulated, so that the pressure contact force between the driving roller 40 and the conveying belt 27 due to the lowering of the bucket 1 can be prevented, and poor transfer of goods can be prevented.
[0089]
The operation of the gate driving mechanism at this time will be described. The lower end portion of the lever 20 is pushed by the inner wall surface of the recess 13a by the linear movement of the slider 13 to the rear, and the lever 20 has the shaft portion 20a (FIG. 21). Tilt forward (to the right in FIG. 16) about the fulcrum.
[0090]
As the lever 20 tilts forward, the upper end of the lever 20 pushes the first protrusion 9 of the gate drive shaft 6 forward. As a result, the gate drive shaft 6 is guided by the grooves 8 and 7 and linearly moves forward as shown in FIG.
[0091]
By the forward movement of the gate drive shaft 6 described above, the gate 3 moves from the first position shown in FIG. 16 to the second position (position shown in FIG. 17) separated forward. During the movement, the rear end portion 11 of the gate drive shaft 6 does not come into contact with the back surface of the rib formed with the groove 8, and thus does not hinder the movement of the gate drive shaft 6 to the second position. .
[0092]
At this time, the guide groove 18 linearly moves backward as the slider 13 moves. However, since the guide groove 18 slides along the linear front half 12a of the rib 12, the gate drive shaft 6 rotates. Not. That is, the gate 3 is moved from the first position to the second position while maintaining the closed position.
[0093]
As the slider 13 further moves rearward, the twisted rear half 12b of the rib 12 is guided by the linearly moving guide groove 18, and the gate drive shaft 6 rotates. As a result, the gate 3 pivots upward about the gate drive shaft 6, reaches the open position shown in FIG. 18, and opens the outlet (product outlet) of the product passage. At this time, the lower end portion of the lever 20 merely slides on the upper surface of the slider 13, and no tilting power is received from the slider 13.
[0094]
The separation distance with respect to the product delivery port at the second position is set so that the gate 3 can be rotated without interfering with the product facing the product delivery port.
[0095]
After t2 (for example, 0.1 second) has elapsed since the cam motor 44 is stopped, the belt motor 43 starts to rotate forward, thereby causing the worm 61, the gear 62, the gear 63, and the gear shown in FIG. The gear 68 is rotated counterclockwise through the gear 64, the gear 65, the gear 66, and the gear 67.
[0096]
By the rotation of the gear 68, the pulley 49 (see FIG. 2) and the rotation shaft 41 are rotated via the belt 52, and the driving roller 40 is rotated. As a result, the conveyor belt 27 on which the driving roller 40 is pressed is driven toward the bucket 1 side, and the product at the forefront position of the product passage 2 starts to be transferred to the bucket 1.
[0097]
At the same time, the gear 53 (see FIG. 2) meshed with the gear 68 is also rotated in the direction in which the above-described one-way clutch is “on”. As a result, the pulley 37 is rotated and the bucket side belt 36 is driven to the back side in the drawing in FIG.
[0098]
When the product moves about half of the bucket side belt 36, the light traveling from the light emitting element 25 to the light receiving element 35 is blocked by the product, and the product detection switch is turned on. Braking control of the belt motor 43 is started after elapse of t3 (for example, 0.5 seconds) after the commodity detection switch is turned on.
[0099]
Then, the forward drive of the cam motor 44 is started simultaneously with the stop of the belt motor 43. Accordingly, the cam 87 in the state of FIGS. 8 and 11 rotates counterclockwise, and the bent portion 56b of the slide plate 56 is slightly pushed rightward in FIG. As a result, the slide shaft 47 is also moved slightly to the right in FIG. 11 so as to be hooked by the bent portion 56a on the other end side of the slide plate 56, and the swing plates 46, 54 are slightly returned to the right. The drive roller 40 is separated from the transport belt 27.
[0100]
At this time, the arm 55 is also rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 5 in conjunction with the return operation of the drive roller 40 and the pin 33 is moved to the bucket 1 side, but the cam 87 is shown in FIGS. Since the slide plate 56 and the slide shaft 47 are not completely returned to the standby position, and the drive roller 40 is only slightly separated from the transport belt 27, the pin 33 is not completely retracted and the groove 14 is not retracted. The contact state with is continuously maintained.
[0101]
When the cam 87 has slightly rotated to the above position and is detected by the cam operation detection microswitch 85 ′ by contact with the protrusion 82, the driving of the cam motor 44 is stopped and the belt motor 43 is again turned on. Driven forward.
[0102]
As a result, the bucket side belt 36 is also driven again, and the product is completely transferred into the bucket 1. At this time, the conveyor belt 27 in the commodity passage 2 is not driven because it is not in contact with the driving roller 40. In other words, the drive roller 40 is idling without contacting anything.
[0103]
When the product is completely transferred to the bucket 1 and the light shielding state of the product detection switch provided on the bucket entrance side is released, the braking control of the belt motor 43 is started.
[0104]
When the belt motor 43 is stopped, the cam motor 44 is driven in reverse, and the cam 87 reaches the position shown in FIGS. 8 and 11 again. At this time, after the contact with the projection 82 is removed and the micro switch 85 'for detecting the cam operation position is once turned off, it is turned on again by the contact with the projection 83, and the cam motor receives the detection signal. The drive of 44 is stopped.
[0105]
In conjunction with the movement of the cam 87, the slide shaft 47 moves toward the product passage 2 as described above, and is pushed by both ends of the slide shaft 47 so that the swing plates 46 and 54 are connected to the shaft member 45. Is pivoted in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. As the swing plates 46 and 54 swing, the drive roller 40 supported by the swing plates 46 and 54 is moved again to the contact position with the conveyor belt 27 shown in FIG.
[0106]
Also in this case, the coil springs 73 and 70 hung between the slide shaft 47 and the swing plates 46 and 54 in accordance with the movement of the slide shaft 47 from FIG. 10 to FIG. The stretched and restored force acts as a force for urging the swing plates 46 and 54 in the direction of the arrow in the state shown in FIG. Accordingly, a force in the direction of the arrow is also applied to the driving roller 40 supported by the swing plates 46 and 54, and this is a force for pressing the driving roller 40 against the conveying belt 27.
[0107]
As a result, as shown in FIG. 18, the driving roller 40 narrows the conveying belt 27 between the driven roller 30 and increases the contact friction between the driving roller 40 and the conveying belt 27 to rotate from the driving roller 40. The driving force can be reliably transmitted to the conveyor belt 27.
[0108]
When the cam operating position detecting micro switch 85 ′ is turned on by contact with the protrusion 83, the driving of the cam motor 44 is stopped and the reverse driving of the belt motor 43 is started.
[0109]
As a result, the conveying belt 27 pressed by the driving roller 40 is reversely driven in the direction opposite to the time when the product is sent out (the rear of the product passage), and the product protruding from the exit of the product passage is moved backward for the next sale. Make sure that it works properly.
[0110]
At this time, in FIG. 5, the gear 53 is rotated in a direction (counterclockwise) in which the above-described one-way clutch is “disengaged”, and thus the rotational driving force of the belt motor 43 is applied to the pulley 37 (see FIG. 2). It is not transmitted and the bucket side belt 37 is not driven. Thereby, the goods in the bucket 1 are not sent out from the bucket 1 before the bucket 1 reaches the goods outlet.
[0111]
Regarding the driving (advancing and retreating) of the series of transport belts 27 described above, the driving roller 40 is pressed against the transport belt 27 and friction is generated between them, so that the rotational driving force of the drive roller 40 is applied to the transport belt. 27. For this reason, it is not necessary to always apply tension to the conveyor belt 27, and parts for that purpose are not necessary, and the number of parts and the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since no tension is applied to the conveyor belt 27, the movement becomes lighter and it is easier to move by hand when refilling the product.
[0112]
Further, since the driving of the bucket side belt 36 and the driving of the conveying belt 27 are performed by a single common motor 43, the number of parts and the cost can be reduced also by this.
[0113]
The reverse rotation driving of the motor 43 for moving the conveyor belt 27 backward is continued for t4 (for example, 0.5 seconds) and then stopped. Subsequently, the cam motor 44 is driven forward and the cam 87 is moved as shown in FIG. It returns to the standby position shown in FIG.
[0114]
That is, the cam 87 in the state of FIGS. 8 and 11 rotates in the clockwise direction and pushes the bent portion 56b of the slide plate 56 to the right in FIG. Accordingly, the slide shaft 47 is also moved to the right in FIG. 11 so as to be hooked by the bent portion 56a on the other end side of the slide plate 56, and the swing plates 46 and 54 are returned to the right to drive. The roller 40 is returned to the standby position shown in FIGS.
[0115]
When the cam standby position detection micro switch 85 is turned on by contact with the protrusion 81 and the standby position of the cam 87 is detected, the drive of the cam motor 44 is stopped.
[0116]
In conjunction with the return operation of the drive roller 40, the arm 55 is also rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 5, and the pin 33 is removed from the engagement groove 14 and returned to the bucket 1 side as shown in FIG. Into the bucket 1. Thereby, in the gate mechanism, the slider 13 moves forward by the biasing force of the coil spring 15.
[0117]
First, the twisted second half 12b of the rib 12 is guided by the guide groove 18 that moves linearly, and the gate drive shaft 6 rotates in the direction opposite to that during the opening operation. It rotates downward to the center and returns to the closed position shown in FIG. At this time, the lower end portion of the lever 20 is merely sliding on the upper surface of the slider 13, and no tilting force is received from the slider 13.
[0118]
Next, when the lower end of the lever 20 reaches the recess 13a by the further forward movement of the slider 13, the lower end of the lever 20 is pushed forward by the inner wall surface of the recess 13a, and the entire lever 20 is The shaft portion 20a (see FIG. 21) is tilted backward with the fulcrum as a fulcrum.
[0119]
As the lever 20 tilts backward, the upper end of the lever 20 pushes the second protrusion 10 of the gate drive shaft 6 backward. As a result, the gate drive shaft 6 is guided by the grooves 8 and 7 and linearly moves backward, and the gate 3 returns to the first position shown in FIG.
[0120]
After the gate 3 returns to the closed position at the second position, the guide groove 18 slides on the linear front half 12a of the rib 12, so that the gate drive shaft 6 is not rotated. That is, the gate 3 is moved from the second position to the first position while maintaining the closed position.
[0121]
After the lapse of t5 (for example, 0.1 second) after the cam motor 44 is stopped, the bucket 1 starts moving toward the product outlet.
[0122]
Then, after arriving at the product outlet, t6 (for example, 0.1 second) elapses, the belt motor 43 is driven forward for t7 (for example, 3.0 seconds), and the bucket belt 36 is driven forward. The product in the bucket 1 is taken out to the product take-out port, and the customer can take out the product.
[0123]
The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.
[0124]
The conveying belt 27 is driven not by pressing the driving roller 40 but by engaging the gear provided on the driven roller 30 with the gear provided on the bucket 1 side and rotationally driving the bucket side gear. It may be. In this case, the drive roller 40 functions only as a pressing member for positioning the bucket 1 and does not need to be rotated.
[0125]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the bucket is accurately lowered with respect to the product passage by lowering the bucket by the reaction of the pressing force of the pressing member with respect to the product passage and sandwiching the product passage between the pin and the pressing member. Positioned. As a result, the movement of the bucket in the vertical direction is restricted, and this state is stably maintained unless the operation of the pin and the pressing member is released. The bucket can be stably held in an accurate position without lowering the bucket even when a load is applied.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bucket according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state at the time of sale standby.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state when the driving roller is operating in the bucket.
FIG. 3 is a side view of one side of the bucket, showing a state where an arm for operating a pin is removed.
4 is a side view showing a state in which an arm for operating a pin is attached in FIG. 3; FIG.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state in which the standby state shown in FIG. 4 is activated to an operation state.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part on the other side surface of the bucket.
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a configuration of a driving roller moving mechanism in the bucket, and shows a standby state.
FIG. 8 shows a state of operation from FIG. 7 to an operation position.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a connection relationship between a slide plate for moving the drive roller and the drive roller in the bucket.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the moving action of the driving roller in the bucket, showing a standby state.
11 is a perspective view showing a state where the camera is moved from the standby state shown in FIG. 10 to an operating position.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the one-way clutch.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a main part inside the vending machine according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a plan view of a product shelf in the embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a side view of the commodity passage in the same embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a side view of the gate mechanism in the same embodiment;
17 is a side view showing a state where the gate is moved forward from the state of FIG.
18 is a side view showing a state where the gate is rotated from the state of FIG. 17 and the product passage is opened.
19 is a plan view of relevant parts in FIG. 16;
FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a guide member in the gate mechanism.
FIG. 21 is a rear view of a lever in the gate mechanism.
FIG. 22 is a perspective view of main parts of a partition wall in the present embodiment.
FIG. 23 is an operation timing chart of the bucket in the present embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bucket, 2 ... Product passage, 3 ... Gate, 13 ... Slider (gate drive member), 14 ... Engagement groove (slider sliding groove), 26 ... Product shelf, 27 ... Conveyor belt, 30 ... Driven roller, 32 ... partition wall, 33 ... pin, 36 ... bucket side belt, 37 ... pulley, 38 ... pulley, 40 ... drive roller (pressing member), 41 ... rotating shaft, 43 ... motor, 44 ... motor, 46 ... swing plate, 47 ... Slide shaft, 52 ... Endless belt, 54 ... Swing plate, 55 ... Arm, 56 ... Slide plate, 87 ... Cam.

Claims (3)

A plurality of product passages extending in the front-rear direction of the product shelf;
A bucket that is stopped in front of the designated product passage and is capable of transferring the product delivered from the product passage ;
A vending machine provided with positioning means provided in the bucket for positioning the bucket with respect to the commodity passage ,
It said positioning means includes a pin which engages with engaging grooves provided on the commodity passage is protruding toward the commodity passage, a pressing member for pressing said article passage toward the pin from a lower position of the pin With
The bucket is positioned with respect to the product passage by lowering the bucket by the reaction of the pressing force of the pressing member against the product passage and sandwiching the product passage between the pin and the pressing member. Vending machine. A gate driving member that drives a gate that opens and closes the outlet of the product passage is slidably provided in the engagement groove,
2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the gate driving member is slid and the gate is opened by contact with the pin protruding into the engagement groove. 3.   2. The product belt is provided with a transport belt that can be driven in the front-rear direction, and the pressing member is pressed by the transport belt and rotationally driven to drive the transport belt. Or the vending machine of Claim 2.

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