JP4148437B2 - Vending machine and product delivery mechanism - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technology of a vending machine that stores products in a stacked state, and more particularly to a product carry-out mechanism that can carry out a product while preventing the product from being clogged, and a vending machine equipped with the product carry-out mechanism.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, in vending machines such as cigarettes, box-shaped products are stacked and stored in two rows. In such a vending machine, for carrying out a product, a product carry-out mechanism for pushing out the product in the bottom row in the front row by pushing the product in the bottom row in the back row is provided. The member that presses the product is provided with a support member that is connected to the rear so that the product can be prevented from being blocked by temporarily supporting the product other than the product to be pushed out from below. Yes.
[0003]
For example, the commodity carry-out mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-54873 is configured as follows. That is, the products are stacked and stored in the front and rear rows in the product storage unit. At the lower part of the product storage section, one end of a plurality of link members connected in a row is attached to an endless member that is rotated by a motor, and the other end is free. Then, as the endless member rotates counterclockwise, the link member pushes the lowermost product in the rear row, thereby pushing the lowermost product in the front row. Further, the product moved to the front row by this is also directly pushed out by the link member. In addition, products other than the products to be pushed out are temporarily supported by being placed on each link member, and product clogging is prevented. After the product is carried out, the link member moves rearward by the clockwise rotation of the endless member, and returns to the rear of the lowermost product in the rear row.
[0004]
Moreover, the goods carry-out mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-231460 is configured as follows. That is, a plurality of push-out members are attached to an endless member that is rotated by a motor, in the lower part of the product storage section similar to the above. Then, as the endless member rotates in the counterclockwise direction, the pushing member pushes the lowermost product in the rear row, thereby pushing out the lowermost product in the front row. Furthermore, the product moved to the front row by this is also directly extruded by the extrusion member. In addition, products other than the product to be extruded are temporarily supported by being placed on the extrusion member, and product clogging is prevented. After the product is carried out, the push-out member moves around by the rotation of the endless member in the counterclockwise direction, and returns to the rear of the product in the lowermost row in the rear row.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional vending machine product carry-out mechanism as described above has the following problems. That is, in the commodity carry-out mechanism of JP-A-9-54873, a large number of link members are connected and the other ends are free, so that a large arc is maintained in order to move the link members smoothly. It is necessary to hang down in the state. For this reason, a space is required in the height direction and the horizontal direction of the product carry-out mechanism.
[0006]
Further, in the commodity unloading mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-231460, the push-out member for carrying out the product circulates by the endless member, so that the push member passes through the front of the endless member and moves backward. For this purpose, a space is required in front of the endless member.
[0007]
The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a product carry-out mechanism capable of realizing downsizing while maintaining a product clogging prevention function. There is.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that saves a space required for a product carry-out mechanism and can secure more space for storing products.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a commodity carrying out comprising: a rotating body that is rotatably provided in an endless manner; and a carrying-out member that moves together with the rotating body to carry out a product. The mechanism includes a cylindrical cam that can be rotated by the power of a drive source, and the unloading member is reciprocally provided in accordance with the rotation of the cylindrical cam, and the unloading member extends in a moving direction thereof. A guide portion that is a long hole or a long groove is formed, and a support member capable of supporting the product stored in the product storage portion from below is attached to the rotating body, and the rotating member is coupled with the carry-out member. as the moving object is rotated, the rotary body is characterized in that the connecting member is biased by the opposite end is provided with the moving direction of definitive to the guide portion.
[0009]
In the invention having the above-described claim 1, also connecting member coming to an end of the linear portion of the rotating member, the opposite end to the moving direction of definitive the guide portion is a long hole or long groove, the unloading members It can be moved further outward. Therefore, even if the total length of the rotating body is shortened, the carry-out member can be moved by the full stroke of the cylindrical cam, so that the full length of the commodity carry-out mechanism can be shortened. Moreover, since all the support members are attached to the rotating body, the space in the height direction and the horizontal direction can be saved as compared with the case where the link member having the other end free is provided. Further, since the carry-out member reciprocates, the space at the front end of the rotating body can be saved as compared with the case where it is moved around.
[0010]
The invention according to claim 2 is a vending machine comprising a product storage unit for stacking and storing products and a carry-out member for carrying out the lowest product in the product storage unit, and can be rotated by the power of a drive source. The carry-out member is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in accordance with the rotation of the cylindrical cam, and the carry-out member is formed with a guide portion that is a long hole or a long groove extending in the moving direction. And a rotation member provided in an endless manner so as to be rotatable. A support member capable of supporting the product stored in the product storage unit from below is attached to the rotation body and interlocked with the carry-out member. as the rotating body is rotated in, the said rotary body, characterized in that the connecting member is biased by the opposite end is provided with the moving direction of definitive to the guide portion.
[0011]
In the invention according to the second aspect as described above, since the space in the height direction and the horizontal direction of the product carry-out mechanism portion can be saved, more space for storing the product can be secured.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
1. Configuration of Embodiment First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a base member 10 is disposed in a vending machine, and a product storage unit 20 and a carry-out mechanism are disposed above and below a horizontal plate 11 in the base member 10. Each unit 30 is configured. The carry-out mechanism unit 30 is configured to push the product A in the storage chamber 21 of the product storage unit 20 forward (in the X1 direction in the figure) by the carry-out member 33. Hereinafter, the configurations of the product storage unit 20 and the carry-out mechanism unit 30 will be described sequentially.
[0013]
First, the product storage unit 20 forms a storage chamber 21 extending in the vertical direction, and products A having a predetermined size and shape are stacked and stored in two rows in the storage chamber 21. Here, among the products A stored in the storage chamber 21, A1 is the product in the lowermost row in the front row, and A2 is the product in the lowermost row in the rear row.
[0014]
The front and rear surfaces of the lower end portion of the product storage unit 20 are respectively provided with a carry-out port 22 for carrying out the product and an insertion port 23 for inserting the carry-out member 33. Among these, as shown in FIG. 3, the opening size of the carry-out port 22 is slightly larger than the vertical cross-sectional dimension of the product A so that the product A can be smoothly carried out. Further, the opening size of the insertion port 23 is formed to be smaller than the vertical cross-sectional size of the product A in order to prevent the product A from being undesirably popped out, and in order to enable a later-described carry-out member 33 to be smoothly inserted, It is formed larger than the vertical cross-sectional dimension of the carry-out member 33.
[0015]
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the carry-out mechanism unit 30 includes a cylindrical cam 31, a slider 32, a carry-out member 33, pulleys 34 and 35, a belt 36, a connecting member 37, and a support member 38. The cylindrical cam 31 is a member in which an endless spiral groove that can reciprocate is formed on the outer periphery. The spiral groove is constituted by an outward operation unit 31a and a return operation unit 31b connected at both ends of the cylindrical cam 31.
[0016]
The pitch of the forward movement operation unit 31a is set so as to ensure the torque required at the time of carrying out the product. The pitch of the return path operation unit 31b is set so as to ensure the return speed required during the return operation of the slider 32 described below. The cylindrical cam 31 is horizontally disposed on the base member 10 with the front-rear direction (X-axis direction in the figure) as the axial direction, and is rotatably provided by a drive motor (not shown).
[0017]
The slider 32 is engaged with the spiral groove of the cylindrical cam 31, and by this engagement relationship, the slider 32 reciprocates in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction in the figure) according to the operation of the spiral groove by the rotation of the cylindrical cam 31. It is configured. The slider 32 is provided with a carry-out member 33 that pushes the product A in contact with the rear end of the product A according to the movement. Further, the carry-out member 33 is located at the upper part of the belt 36, and a guide portion 33a which is a long hole or a long groove in the moving direction is formed inside.
[0018]
The pulleys 34 and 35 are disposed in the vicinity of the end portion of the cylindrical cam 31. An endless belt 36 is hung between the two pulleys 34 and 35. As shown in FIG. 4, the belt 36 is provided with a connecting member 37 for transmitting power from the slider 32. The connecting member 37 is provided with a shaft 37a having both ends inserted into the guide portion 33a of the carry-out member 33 so as to be slidable. Further, a plurality of support members 38 are disposed behind the connecting member 37 in the belt 36. The support member 38 is provided so as to be able to support the product A other than the products A1 and A2 to be pushed out from the lower side by moving together with the connecting member 36 as the belt 36 moves.
[0019]
As shown in the principle diagram of FIG. 10, the left and right vertices α of the belt 36 and the moving end β of the slider 32 in the cylindrical cam 31 are provided at the same position. In this case, the end γ of the straight line portion where the connecting member 37 is movable in the belt 36 is inside the moving end β of the slider 32.
[0020]
2. Operation of the Embodiment The operation of the present embodiment as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. That is, from the initial state shown in FIG. 1, when the vending machine is instructed to throw out the product A, the motor is operated and the cylindrical cam 31 is rotated. Then, the slider 32 and the carry-out member 33 start moving in the X1 direction by the forward movement operation unit 31a in the cylindrical cam 31. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the carry-out member 33 enters the product storage unit 20 from the insertion port 23 and pushes the lowermost product A2 in the rear row, so that the lowermost product A1 in the front row is pushed out from the carry-out port 22. start. At the same time, since the connecting member 37 is biased in the X1 direction via the shaft 37a inserted into the guide portion 33a, the belt 36 rotates counterclockwise.
[0021]
Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when the carry-out member 33 reaches the center of the product storage unit 20, the product A <b> 2 moves to the lowermost position in the front row and the product A <b> 1 is completely pushed out from the product storage unit 20. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the carry-out member 33 passes through the center of the product storage unit 20 and reaches the carry-out port 22, the product A <b> 2 is also pushed out from the carry-out port 22. After such a carry-out operation, the slider 32 and the carry-out member 33 start moving in the X2 direction by the return path operation unit 31b of the cylindrical cam 31, and stop when reaching the initial position. At the return operation end, as shown in FIG. 8, the connecting member 37 stops in a slightly inclined state.
[0022]
As described above, the product A1 at the lowermost row in the front row and the product A2 at the lowermost row in the rear row are discharged, so that the products A in the front row and the rear row next to the drop are placed in the product storage unit 20 from the rear of the carry-out member 33. Is placed on a plurality of support members 38 that enter into the product, so that there is little drop and the collapse is prevented, and the advancement of the retreating carry-out member 33 is hindered by the product A in the rear row order, resulting in product clogging. There is nothing.
[0023]
Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, if the end γ of the linear portion where the connecting member 37 can move in the belt 36 is simply set so that the slider 32 in the cylindrical cam 31 can move in a full stroke, the slider 32 From the moving end β, the left and right vertices α of the belt 36 protrude to the left and right by the shaded portion.
[0024]
However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 10, the shaft 37a of the connecting member 37 that moves together with the slider 32 during the reciprocating motion is always in the guide portion 33a of the carry-out member 33. Since it comes to the end opposite to the traveling direction, the slider 32 and the carry-out member 33 can be moved further outward. Therefore, by shortening the overall length of the belt 36, even if the left and right vertices α of the belt 36 and the moving end β of the slider 32 coincide with each other, the shift is absorbed by the guide portion 33a, and the slider 32 and the carry-out member 33 The connecting member 37 operates without problems. For this reason, the slider 32 can be moved by a full stroke while shortening the overall length of the product carry-out mechanism.
[0025]
3. Effects of Embodiment The effects of the present embodiment as described above are as follows. In other words, by shortening the distance between the pulleys 34 and 35, the overall length in the horizontal direction can be shortened, and the product carry-out mechanism can be downsized. In addition, since the plurality of support members 38 are all attached to the belt 36 and do not need to be hung downward, it is not necessary to secure a space for this in the vending machine.
[0026]
Further, since the carry-out member 33 and the support member 38 reciprocate without rotating, it is not necessary to secure a space in the vending machine for the carry-out member 33 and the support member 38 to pass through at the front end of the belt 36. . Accordingly, the product carry-out mechanism can be miniaturized and the required space can be reduced, so that it is possible to secure more storage space for the product A in the vending machine.
[0027]
4). Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the size, shape, number, material, and the like of each member can be changed as appropriate. For example, the size of the product storage unit, the belt and the cylindrical cam, the number of support members, and the like can be freely increased or decreased at the design stage. Further, the number of product rows in the product storage unit may be three or more or one row.
[0028]
It is also possible to control the operation of the drive motor by a sensor or switch that detects the position of the carry-out member or the presence or absence of a product. For example, the drive motor is temporarily stopped when the sensor detects that the unloading member has come to the middle of the product storage unit and the product in the bottom row of the front row has been discharged, and the drive motor is activated when the next discharge command is issued Then, the products pushed out from the lowermost row in the rear row to the front row can be discharged one by one. When the sensor detects that there is no rear-row product, the front-row product can be pushed out without stopping the carry-out member in the middle of the product storage unit.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a merchandise carry-out mechanism capable of realizing downsizing while maintaining a clogging prevention function of merchandise.
Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vending machine capable of saving a space necessary for the product carry-out mechanism and securing a larger space for storing products.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a merchandise carry-out mechanism of a vending machine according to the present invention.
2 is a plan view of FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a side view showing the start of a product carry-out operation in the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing when the product in the lowermost row in the front row is discharged in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a side view showing when the rear row bottom product is discharged in the embodiment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing operations of the carry-out member and the connecting member at the return operation end in the embodiment of FIG.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are explanatory views showing the operation of the carry-out member and the connecting member in the embodiment of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 9A is a product carry-out and FIG. 9B is a return operation.
10 is a principle explanatory view showing a positional relationship between the operating end of the slider and the apex of the belt in the embodiment of FIG. 1; FIG.
11 is a principle explanatory view showing a positional relationship between an operating end of a slider and a vertex of a belt in a comparative example with the embodiment of FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Base member 11 ... Horizontal plate 20 ... Commodity storage part 21 ... Storage chamber 22 ... Carrying outlet 23 ... Insertion port 30 ... Unloading mechanism part 31 ... Cylindrical cam 31a ... Outward movement operation part 31b ... Return path operation part 32 ... Slider 33 ... Unloading Member 33a ... Guide portion 36 ... Belt 36 ... Connection member 37 ... Connection member 37a ... Shaft 38 ... Support members 34, 35 ... Pulley

Claims (2)

In a product carry-out mechanism comprising a rotary body provided in an endless manner so as to be rotatable, and a carry-out member that moves together with the rotary body to carry out a product.
It has a cylindrical cam that can be rotated by the power of the drive source,
The carry-out member is provided so as to reciprocate according to the rotation of the cylindrical cam,
The unloading member is formed with a guide portion which is a long hole or a long groove extending in the moving direction,
The rotating body is provided with a support member capable of supporting a product stored in the product storage unit from below.
As the rotating body in conjunction with the unloading member is rotated, said the rotating body, the coupling member is biased by the opposite end is provided with the moving direction of definitive to the guide portion A product delivery mechanism. In a vending machine comprising a product storage unit for stacking and storing products, and a carry-out member for carrying out the lowest product in the product storage unit,
It has a cylindrical cam that can be rotated by the power of the drive source,
The carry-out member is provided so as to reciprocate according to the rotation of the cylindrical cam,
The unloading member is formed with a guide portion which is a long hole or a long groove extending in the moving direction,
A rotating body provided in an endless manner so as to be rotatable,
The rotating body is provided with a support member capable of supporting a product stored in the product storage unit from below.
Characterized in that the connecting member is biased by the opposite end is provided with the in conjunction with the unloading member such that the rotating body is rotated, the direction of movement to the rotating member of definitive to the guide portion And vending machine.

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