JP4333506B2 - Goods dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an article dispensing apparatus including a plurality of article dispensing units that dispense one by one goods (articles) such as toys and gums stored in a transparent capsule-shaped storage container, and in particular, a plurality of article dispensing units. It is related with the article | item delivery apparatus which can accommodate selectively.

  For example, it has a housing that contains a large number of transparent capsules that enclose items such as toys, gum, candy, and chocolate. There is an article dispensing device that dispenses one by one while stirring.

  Such an article dispensing device is a place where the colors and decorations are devised so that the articles in the housing can be seen by the buyer, and the articles can be widely advertised or attracted by customers. Installed. The article to be sold is managed by the manager of the article dispensing device, and the article is regularly replenished or exchanged based on the sales situation of the article and the sales plan for the article.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is one that can easily replenish articles to this kind of article dispensing apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The article take-out apparatus (article dispensing apparatus) of Patent Document 1 is configured such that an article storage case is detachably attached to an upper portion of the apparatus body so that the article storage case can be replaced.

According to the article dispensing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the article change in the article storage case is performed by exchanging the article storage case.
JP-A-9-326081 ([0024], FIG. 3)

  However, according to the article dispensing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the size of the exchangeable article storage case is constant, so that the amount of articles stored is larger when handling a large article than when handling a small article. Less. For this reason, when the article is sold and the remaining amount of the article is exhausted, the replenishment must be performed frequently. This is because, when the remaining amount of the article becomes small, the purchase willingness of the purchaser who visually recognizes this state declines, so that the sales volume may be reduced, and this situation needs to be avoided. In addition, if the goods are unpopular with the buyer, the amount of storage will not decrease, and there will be a shift in the replenishment timing with the good-selling goods. In this case as well, the impression that the sales will be poor is given to the buyer. There is a risk that the amount will decrease. In particular, when the article to be handled is food, the article must be collected and discarded after the expiration date, and a troublesome work such as collection and disposal of the article is required.

  Therefore, in order to reduce the number of replenishment of good-selling items and relatively large-sized items, and prevent the occurrence of misalignment in the replenishment timing between good-selling items and bad-selling items, the amount of articles stored in each item dispensing unit is reduced. The appearance of an article dispensing device that can be made uniform has been conventionally desired.

  The present invention has been made in response to such a demand, and has a very simple configuration in which a plurality of storage space portions capable of selectively storing a plurality of article dispensing units are formed in the unit storage space of the apparatus housing. The amount of goods stored in each article dispensing unit can be made uniform, so that the number of replenishment of good-selling goods and relatively large-sized articles can be reduced, and the replenishment of good-selling goods and bad goods can be reduced. Provided is an article dispensing apparatus capable of preventing occurrence of a timing shift.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a device main body having a unit housing space therein, and a plurality of devices that are housed in the unit housing space of the device main body and dispense articles according to an article dispensing operation by an article dispenser. An article dispensing apparatus comprising an article dispensing unit and a controller for controlling the article dispensing operation of the article dispensing unit to a possible / impossible state, wherein the unit accommodating space includes each of the plurality of article dispensing units. A plurality of accommodating space portions that can be selectively accommodated by a combination of at least three large, medium, and small article dispensing units having different unit sizes, and the arrangement of the plurality of article dispensing units can be changed; Each includes an article storage unit configured to expand or reduce the volume for storing the article, and the article storage unit to the article. And a goods dispensing mechanism to dispense, the controller, based on the operation by the administrator, an article dispensing, characterized in that to display the sales data of each of the articles in the plurality of article dispensing unit on the display unit Providing equipment.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides an apparatus main body having a unit accommodating space therein, and is accommodated in the unit accommodating space of the apparatus main body, and dispenses articles according to an article dispensing operation by an article dispenser. An article dispensing apparatus comprising: a plurality of article dispensing units; and a controller that controls the article dispensing operation of the article dispensing unit so as to be possible / impossible, wherein the unit accommodating space includes the plurality of article dispensing units. among the receivable in by Ri election択的to a combination of each unit size is different at least large, medium and small three article dispensing units, more which enables changing the arrangement of the plurality of article dispensing unit in response to sales of the article have a housing space portion, wherein each article dispensing unit, and storing the article, having a visible portion visible to the article from the front An article storage unit, an article delivery mechanism disposed in the article storage unit and having a receiving hole for delivering the article from the article storage unit, and the article delivered from the article storage unit by the article delivery mechanism. The article storage outlet has a box-shaped back plate that is detachably attached to a through window that opens through another surface different from the front surface, and the box-shaped back plate Is provided at the outer peripheral edge of the through window or the inner opening peripheral edge of the through window, thereby expanding or reducing the volume of the article storage unit, and the controller is based on an operation by an administrator, Provided is an article dispensing apparatus that displays sales number data of each article in the plurality of article dispensing units on a display unit .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of times of replenishment of articles with good sales or relatively large articles, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a replenishment timing difference between articles with good sales and articles with poor sales.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Overall configuration of article dispensing device)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an article dispensing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, an article dispensing apparatus denoted by reference numeral 1 includes an apparatus main body 2 as a casing, article dispensing units A to H that dispense articles according to an article dispensing operation by an article dispenser, and article dispensing units A to H. And a control unit (controller) 10 for controlling the article dispensing operation to a possible / impossible state.

(Configuration of the apparatus body 2)
As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus main body 2 has a base 2A and a main body 2B. The base portion 2A functions as a seat member of the article dispensing device 1 and is formed of a substantially pentagonal box made entirely of a metal material such as a steel plate. And it is comprised so that the main-body part 2B and the article | item delivery units AH and the control unit 10 may be hold | maintained.

  On the other hand, the main body 2B has a unit storage space 100 therein, and is entirely formed of a substantially rectangular box made of a metal material such as a steel plate. In the unit storage space 100, three, large, medium, and small article delivery units A (B to E), F (G), and H having different unit sizes (dimensions in the width direction) among the plurality of article delivery units A to H, or these Four accommodation space portions 100A to 100D capable of selectively accommodating a plurality of article delivery units of a specific combination among the large, medium, and small three article delivery units A (B to E), F (G), and H are formed. Yes.

  The unit sizes (width direction dimensions) of the article dispensing units A to E are set to the same dimension, and the unit sizes (width dimension) of the article dispensing units F and G are set to the same dimension.

  The accommodation space portion 100A has an article delivery unit A / B having an intermediate unit size between the maximum unit size and the minimum unit size, and the accommodation space portion 100B has an article delivery unit C. D is accommodated adjacent to each other in the width direction. In the accommodation space 100C, an article delivery unit E having an intermediate unit size and an article delivery unit F / G having a minimum unit size are accommodated adjacent to each other in the left-right (width) direction. In the accommodation space 100D, the article dispensing device H having the maximum unit size is accommodated.

  In the storage spaces 100A and 100B, instead of the intermediate unit size article delivery devices A to D, the maximum unit size article delivery device H, the intermediate unit size article delivery unit E, and the smallest unit size It is possible to accommodate the article dispensing units F and G, and further only the article dispensing apparatuses F and G having the minimum unit size. Similarly, in the storage spaces 100C and 100D, instead of the article delivery unit E having an intermediate unit size and the article delivery apparatuses F and G having the smallest unit size, other article delivery apparatuses such as an article delivery apparatus A and B are used. Can be accommodated.

  That is, in the storage spaces 100A to 100D, three large, medium, and small article delivery units A (B to E) and F (G) having different unit sizes (dimensions in the width direction) among the plurality of article delivery units A to H. It is possible to selectively accommodate a plurality of article delivery units of a specific combination of H or these three large, medium and small article delivery units A (B to E), F (G), and H.

(Configuration of the article dispensing units A to E)
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an article dispensing apparatus having an intermediate unit size among a plurality of article dispensing units in the article dispensing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view showing an article non-storage state. FIG. 2B is a side view showing the article storage state. In the article dispensing unit in FIG. 2B, the handle panel is removed from the article dispensing unit in FIG.

  The article dispensing units B and C have substantially the same configuration as the unit in which the back plate for expanding (reducing) the volume of the unit internal space (article storage unit) is removed from the article dispensing units A, D, and E. Therefore, only the configuration of the article dispensing units A, D, and E will be described, and the description of the configuration of the article dispensing units B and C will be omitted. Since the article dispensing units A, D, and E have substantially the same configuration, only the configuration of one article dispensing unit A will be described, and the description of the configuration of the other article dispensing units D and E will be omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the article dispensing unit A includes a unit main body 200 as a unit housing, a rotor unit 300 as a driving force transmission mechanism for dispensing articles P, and a rotor unit. And a handle 71 for driving 300, and is detachably accommodated in the accommodating space 100 </ b> A of the apparatus main body 2. The article dispensing unit A is attached to the storage space 100A by locking, and the detachment from the storage space 100A is performed by unlocking.

(Configuration of unit body 200)
The unit main body 200 includes a substantially rectangular structure 25 formed by combining the frame member 25 </ b> A and the support column 25 </ b> B, the front panel 5 that forms the front wall of the structure 25, and the side panel 27 that forms the side wall of the structure 25. And a back panel 400 that forms the back wall of the structure 25 and a reinforcing plate 26 for reinforcing the structure 25.

  The structure 25 is made of a metal material. In the upper part of the structure 25, an article storage unit 3A for storing articles P such as toys and gum, candy, and chocolate housed in a transparent capsule is provided. A first guide plate 501 for guiding the article P stored in the article storage unit 3A from the outside to the front region of the article storage unit 3A (the back surface of the front panel 5) is also provided in the intermediate portion in the structure 25. A second guide plate 35 for guiding to 38 is provided. In the lower part of the structure 25, an inclined duct 39 is disposed as an article passage communicating with the article delivery outlet 9A.

  The front panel 5 is a handle panel that holds a transparent panel 5A that can visually recognize an article P in the article storage unit 3A, a sign panel 32 that functions as a display board, and a handle 71 for paying out the article P in the article storage unit 3A. 70A and disposed on the front surface of the structure 25. A display lamp 33 (lamp panel) made of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) or the like is disposed above the front panel 5. On the signboard panel 32, characters and the like for advertising the article P in the article storage unit 3A and notifying the amount of the article P are displayed. The handle panel 70A is provided with an article outlet 9A for taking out the article P to the outside. Further, the handle panel 70A is provided with a locking portion 74 for preventing the article dispensing units A, D, and E from being detached from the apparatus main body 2 (accommodating space portions 100A to 100C).

  The side panel 27 is made of a transparent panel such as glass and is disposed on both side surfaces of the structure 25. The side panel 27 is not limited to a transparent panel, and may be formed of an opaque panel.

  The back panel 400 includes a first back plate 401 for closing a part of the rear opening of the structure 25 and a box-shaped second back plate 21 for expanding the volume of the article storage unit 3A. It is arranged on the back part. The first back plate 401 is provided with a through window 401A that opens in the front-rear direction. The second back plate 21 is detachably disposed on the outer peripheral edge of the through window 401 </ b> A while being exposed to the outside of the structure 25. The second back plate 21 can also be disposed on the inner opening periphery of the through window 401 </ b> A in a state of being housed inside the structure 25. In this case, the volume of the article storage unit 3A is reduced.

  The reinforcing plate 26 is located below the side panel 27 and is disposed on both side surfaces of the structure 25. And it is comprised so that the structure 25 may be reinforced as mentioned above.

(Configuration of rotor unit 300)
The rotor unit 300 includes a unit base 300A as a unit base and a rotor 31 that is rotated by a handle rotating operation by an article dispenser (article purchaser), and an upper space (articles) of the unit main body 200 in the structure 25. The storage unit 3A) is disposed so as to separate the lower space.

  The unit base 300A has a bottomed round cylindrical base main body 301 and a flange 302 protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the base main body 301, and is formed of a polyacetal resin material having excellent molding processability. A connection window 300 a that opens in front of the apparatus main body 2 is provided on the peripheral wall of the base main body 301. In addition, a guide hole (not shown) that opens downward (lower space of the unit main body 200) and communicates with the article discharge outlet 9 </ b> A via the inclined duct 39 is provided at the bottom of the base main body 301. A plurality of the agitation springs 37 (only one is shown) are attached to the collar 302 in parallel with the circumferential direction at equal intervals.

  The rotor 31 is rotatably disposed in the base body 301 of the unit base 300A, and is entirely formed of a disc made of a resin material. In the rotor 31, a plurality of receiving holes 38 having opening sizes corresponding to the outer size of the article P are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The accommodation hole 38 is disposed at a position where the accommodation hole 38 communicates with the inclined duct 39 (the guide hole of the base main body 301) by the rotation operation of the rotor 31 by the rotation operation of the handle 71. A gear portion 36 that meshes with the gear of the handle 71 is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the rotor 31.

  A plurality (three) of article stirring springs 304 arranged in parallel at equal intervals in the circumferential direction are attached to the central portion (rotor cap) of the rotor 31.

  In addition, since the rotor shape is complicated as a forming material of the rotor 31, it is excellent in molding processability, and since the article P stored in the article storage unit 3A includes food, it is safe for food. Good, for example, polyacetal is preferred. Moreover, about the rotor 31 with a gear part, mass productivity can be improved by carrying out division formation.

  The handle 71 has a handle shaft 72 and is rotatably disposed on the handle panel 70A. The handle shaft 72 is restricted from rotating by the handle lock portion 43A. A gear 73 that meshes with the gear portion 36 of the rotor 31 is fixed to the handle shaft 72. The handle lock portion 43A engages a plunger (not shown) with the handle shaft 72 to restrict the rotation of the handle 71 (handle shaft 72), and locks based on the insertion of coins into the coin insertion slot 13 (described later). The handle 71 can be rotated by releasing the engaged state with the plunger by inputting a release signal.

(Structure of the goods dispensing unit F / G)
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an article dispensing apparatus having a minimum unit size among a plurality of article dispensing units in the article dispensing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of FIG. FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the driving force transmission mechanism of the remaining amount display board in the article dispensing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 5A is a side view showing a state before the driving force transmission is started in the driving force transmission mechanism. FIG. 5B is a side view showing a state immediately after the driving force transmission in the driving force transmission mechanism. FIG. 5C is a side view showing a state where the driving force transmission is completed in the driving force transmission mechanism. FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the display state of the remaining amount display board that operates by driving the driving force transmission mechanism in FIG. 5. FIG. 6A is a front view of the remaining amount presence / absence display plate shown in FIG. 5A as viewed from the front surface of the article dispensing unit. FIG. 6B is a front view of the remaining amount presence / absence display plate shown in FIG. 5B as viewed from the front surface of the article dispensing unit. FIG.6 (c) is the front view which looked at the residual amount presence / absence display board shown in FIG.5 (c) from the front part of the goods delivery unit.

  Since the article dispensing units F and G have a common unit housing and the other configurations are substantially the same, only the configuration of one article dispensing unit F will be described, and the other article dispensing unit G A description of the configuration is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the article dispensing unit F dispenses the unit main body 405 as a unit housing, the article storage box 410 that stores cards as the article P, and the articles P in the article storage box 410. Drive force transmission mechanism 420, a handle 430 for driving the drive force transmission mechanism 420, an article push-out member 440 that advances and retreats by driving the drive force transmission mechanism 420 by rotating the handle 430, and an article storage box 410 A weight 450 for pressing the article P and a remaining amount presence / absence display plate 460 that is rotated by the weight 450 are provided, and are disposed adjacent to the article dispensing unit E as shown in FIG. The space 100C is detachably accommodated. The article dispensing unit F is attached to the storage space 100C by locking, and the detachment from the storage space 100C is performed by unlocking.

(Configuration of unit body 405)
The unit main body 405 includes a substantially rectangular structure 250 that opens forward, and a front panel 251 that forms a front wall of the structure 250.
The structure 250 is made of a metal material. In the structure 250, a space 250A for accommodating the article storage box 410, the driving force transmission mechanism 420, and the like is formed.

  The front panel 251 includes a transparent panel 251A that can visually recognize the space 250A of the structure 250, a sign panel 252B that functions as a display board, and a handle panel 252C that holds the handle 430. The transparent panel 251A sandwiches a signboard panel 252B formed of thick paper or the like between two transparent resin plates, and is pivotally supported on the front surface of the structure 250 so as to be opened and closed as shown in FIG. A display lamp 480 (lamp panel) made up of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) or the like is disposed above the front panel 251. On the side of the display lamp 480, a locking portion 481 for preventing the front panel 251 from being released from the apparatus main body 2 is disposed.

  The signboard panel 252B is provided with a transparent window 252b through which the remaining amount display panel 460 can be visually recognized. Characters or the like for advertising the article P in the article storage box 410 or notifying the amount of the article P are displayed on the front surface of the sign panel 252B. A holder 253 that holds the article storage box 410 and the driving force transmission mechanism 420 is disposed on the back surface of the sign panel 252B. Further, the signboard panel 252B is provided with an article outlet 252c for taking out the article P to the outside.

  The article storage box 410 has a space portion 410A for storing the article P in a stacked state, and is disposed on the back surface of the front panel 251 at an upper portion of the holder 253 with a predetermined interval. The article storage box 410 is provided with an article insertion / extraction opening 410 </ b> B that opens upward and enables the article P to be stored, replenished, and collected. A guide hole for guiding the hook 450A of the weight 450 in the vertical direction (vertical direction of the article storage box 410) and a card viewing window juxtaposed on both sides of the guide hole are provided on the front surface of the article storage box 410 (both not shown). Is provided. On the back surface of the article storage box 410, a guide hole for guiding the hook 450B of the weight 450 in the vertical direction and an extrusion member insertion / extraction port (both not shown) for inserting and extracting the article extrusion member 440 are provided. In addition to the cards, the article storage box 410 stores small paper pieces such as stickers and stickers / photos sandwiched between two folded cardboards.

  The driving force transmission mechanism 420 includes a shaft 421 extending along the handle axis of the handle 430, and a cylinder 422 that is rotated by a rotation operation of the handle 430 by the purchaser, and is disposed in the structure 250. The holder 253 is held via a bracket 423.

  Both ends of the shaft 421 are fixed to the bracket 423 and inserted into the cylinder 422.

  The cylinder 422 is rotatably disposed around the shaft 421 and is connected to the handle shaft of the handle 430. On the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 422, a spiral cam 422A for applying an advancing / retreating force to the article pushing member 440 is disposed.

  The handle 430 has a handle shaft (not shown) and is rotatably disposed on the handle panel 252C. As with the handle 71 (shown in FIG. 2), the handle shaft is restricted from rotating by a handle lock portion (not shown). Similarly to the handle lock portion 43A (shown in FIG. 2), the handle lock portion also engages a plunger (not shown) with the handle shaft to restrict the rotation of the handle 430, and to the coin slot 13 (described later). The handle 430 can be rotated by releasing the engaged state with the plunger by inputting a lock release signal based on the insertion of the coin.

  The article extruding member 440 has a pair of rollers 440A and 440B that roll along the cam 422A, and is disposed in the holder 253 so as to be able to advance and retreat. The unit body 400 (apparatus body 2) is moved forward and backward by the rotation of the cylinder 422 by the rotation operation of the handle 430.

  Thus, when the handle 430 is rotated clockwise by the purchaser's rotation operation, the article pushing member 440 is retracted from the standby position (advance position) indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3 to the retracted position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. , The lowermost article P among the articles P in the article storage box 410 is pushed out to the article outlet 252c. In this case, when the article extruding member 440 is retracted from the standby position to the retracted position, the article P in the article storage box 410 is lowered by the weight 450, and the lowermost article P is disposed at the same height position as the article extruding member 440. Is done.

  The weight 450 includes a weight main body 450C that presses the article P in the article storage box 410 downward, and a pair of hooks 450A and 450B that project forward and backward of the weight 450C. It is installed.

  The weight main body 450C is arranged on the uppermost article P among the articles P in the article storage box 410, and is configured to vary its height position according to the storage amount of the article P in the article storage box 410. ing.

  The hooks 450A and 450B are partially exposed from the article storage box 410 through guide holes (not shown) and attached to the front and rear end edges of the weight body 450C, respectively. Among these, the hook 450 </ b> A is configured to function as a driving force transmission member of the remaining amount presence / absence display plate 460.

  The remaining amount presence / absence display plate 460 includes a U-shaped pivot member having a display portion 460A, is disposed between the front panel 251 and the article storage box 410, and is pivotally supported in the vicinity of the transparent window 252b. ing. Thereby, the purchaser or the like is configured to be able to know the presence or absence of the article P in the article storage box 410.

  In this case, when the hook 450A is not pressed against the remaining amount presence / absence display plate 460 (the state shown in FIG. 5A), the non-display portion of the remaining amount display plate 460 is transparent as shown in FIG. 6A. Arranged in an upright state in the window 252b, the purchaser or the like can visually recognize the non-display portion of the remaining amount display plate 460 and know the “remaining amount” state of the article P in the article storage box 410. be able to.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the remaining amount display plate 460 starts to rotate clockwise by the pressing of the hook 450A due to the lowering of the weight 450, and the remaining amount display plate as shown in FIG. 6 (b). The display portion 460A of the 460 is disposed in the transparent window 252b in an inclined state. For this reason, a part of the display portion 460A is visually recognized by the purchaser or the like, and the “low remaining amount (remaining amount) of the article P in the article storage box 410 There is a quantity) ”status.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the remaining amount presence / absence display plate 460 is further rotated clockwise by the pressing of the hook 450A due to the lowering of the weight 450, and the remaining amount display plate 460 as shown in FIG. The display unit 460A is placed in the transparent window 252b in an upright state, and therefore, all of the display unit 460A is visually recognized by the purchaser or the like, and the “no remaining amount” state of the article P in the article storage box 410 is displayed. I can know.

(Configuration of the article dispensing unit H)
FIG. 7 is a view for explaining an article dispensing apparatus having a maximum unit size among a plurality of article dispensing units in the article dispensing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a view for explaining an article stirring spring in the article dispensing unit of FIG. FIG. 8A is a perspective view, and FIG. 8B is a front view.

  The article delivery unit H is different from the article delivery unit A / C / E shown in FIG. 2 in the unit size (width direction dimension) (the unit size of the article delivery unit H is larger than the unit size of the article delivery unit A / C / E). Therefore, each component is set to a large size. In addition, since the components other than the article stirring spring are configured substantially the same, only the configuration of the article stirring spring (peripheral mechanism) will be described, and description of the other configurations will be omitted. . 7 and FIG. 8, the same or equivalent members as in FIG. 2 (except for the article stirring spring) are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  At the center of the rotor 31 of the article dispensing unit H shown in FIG. 7, a holder mechanism comprising two upper and lower spring holders 701 and 702 facing each other via a column 700 as shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b). 710 is provided. The strut 700 is disposed on an imaginary line passing through the approximate center of the rotor 31.

  The upper spring holder 701 is provided with a pair of first springs 703 and 704 for stirring articles that are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction at a predetermined interval. The first springs 703 and 704 are arranged at an eccentric position that is bent from the center of the first spring 703 and 704 and separated from the center of the rotor 31.

  The lower spring holder 702 is provided with a pair of second agitating springs 705 and 706 that are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction at a predetermined interval. The second spring 705 is bent at an intermediate portion on the opposite side to the bending direction of the first spring 704, and the first spring 704 is disposed at an eccentric position that is substantially symmetrical with respect to the roller center. The second spring 706 is bent in the direction opposite to the bending direction of the first spring 703, and the eccentric position of the first spring 703 is arranged at an eccentric position that is substantially symmetrical with respect to the roller center.

(Configuration of control unit 10)
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a control unit in the article dispensing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 10 includes a unit main body 600 (shown in FIG. 1) as a unit housing and an operation panel for generating selection signals for the article dispensing units A to H by a button operation of the purchaser. 12, a coin mechanism 15 that processes inserted coins to generate a coin processing signal, and a signal processing device 601 that processes each signal, and a central portion of a unit housing space 100 (both shown in FIG. 1) of the device main body 2. Is detachably accommodated.

  In the unit main body 600, a space (not shown) in which a circuit and the like are built is formed. The operation panel 12 has a plurality of selection buttons corresponding to the article dispensing units A to H, and is disposed on the front surface of the unit main body 600. The coin mechanism 15 has a coin insertion slot 13 for inserting coins as a price for the article P and a coin return slot 14 for returning coins, and has a built-in coin processing unit 42 and disposed in the unit main body 600. Has been.

  The signal processing device 601 is operated by an operator at the time of maintenance and inspection, and an input unit 45 such as a keyboard that instructs registration / reading of various settings / execution of a maintenance program, data set based on various settings, sales volume data, and the like A storage unit 44 having a data storage unit 44A for storing the date and time of sale, a program storage unit 44B for storing a program such as a maintenance program, and a display unit such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) for displaying the results of various settings and operation tests 11 and a control unit 41 that controls each unit. The control unit 41 has a built-in clock circuit (not shown) for adding sales date and time to the sales volume data.

  Further, the signal processing device 601 has a printer (not shown) that prints out data set by various settings and data such as sales volume based on a maintenance program stored in the program storage unit 44B.

  And if the signal processing apparatus 601 satisfy | fills sales conditions based on the selection signal of the article | item delivery units AH input from the operation panel 12, and the coin processing signal input according to the price from the coin mechanism 15, it will be applicable. The control unit 10 (control unit 41) outputs a lock release signal to the handle lock units 43A to 43H of the article dispensing units A to H. Accordingly, the handle lock portions 43A to 43H electrically unlock the handle 71 in response to the lock release signal. As a result, the purchaser can rotate the handle 71.

(Operation of article dispensing apparatus 1)
The purchaser selects an article dispensing unit in which the article P he / she wishes to purchase is stored from the article dispensing units A to H, and inserts coins corresponding to the amount into the coin insertion slot 13. The coin processing unit 42 of the coin mechanism 15 determines whether the inserted coin is appropriate based on the material, the outer diameter, etc., distributes the coin determined to be “appropriate” to a predetermined coin passage, and guides it to the safe. Also, the denomination is determined in this process, and the total amount of coins inserted is output to the control unit 41. The control unit 41 lights up the selection button of the operation panel 12 corresponding to the total amount to notify the purchaser that “sale is possible”.

  Next, the purchaser presses the selection button corresponding to the article dispensing unit in which the article P that he / she wishes to purchase is stored among the lit selection buttons. For example, when the purchaser presses a selection button for selecting the article dispensing unit A, a selection signal is input to the control unit 41. Based on the selection signal, the control unit 41 outputs the sales number data to the storage unit 44 and outputs the unlock signal to the handle lock unit 43A. When the sales number data is input from the control unit 41, the storage unit 44 accumulates the sales number data of the article dispensing unit A in the data storage unit 44A.

  Thereafter, the purchaser manually rotates the handle 71 of the article dispensing unit A clockwise. The rotational force of the handle 71 is transmitted to the gear 73 via the handle shaft 72. The rotational force from the gear 73 is transmitted to the rotor 31, and accordingly, the rotor 31 rotates and the article P accommodated in the accommodation hole 38 is guided to a guide hole (not shown). Thereby, one article P is paid out from the guide hole (not shown) and falls into the inclined duct 39. The inclined duct 39 guides the article P to the article outlet 9A along the inclined surface. Note that the handle 71 is electrically locked again by the handle lock portion 43A after one rotation.

  Then, the purchaser takes out the article P from the article outlet 9A by manually opening the flapper of the article outlet 9A.

  When the goods are sold in this manner, the storage amount varies depending on whether the goods handled by the goods dispensing units A to H are sold out or unsold. Next, an operation for changing the unit increase / decrease of the article dispensing apparatus 1 based on the actual number of sales in the article dispensing units A to H will be described.

(Unit increase / decrease change of article dispensing device 1)
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for unit increase / decrease change of the article dispensing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating an arrangement example of the article dispensing units of the article dispensing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11A is a front view showing an arrangement example (1) of the article dispensing unit. FIG. 11B is a front view showing an arrangement example (2) of the article dispensing unit.

  In the unit increase / decrease change of the present embodiment, “installation of item delivery device”, “initial setting”, “sales start”, “sale status survey”, “operation of input unit”, “unit increase / decrease”, and “article” Since each process of “replenishment” is sequentially performed, each of these processes will be described sequentially.

"Installation of goods dispensing equipment"
First, the administrator of the article dispensing apparatus 1 installs the article dispensing apparatus 1 at a place such as a store where many buyers gather (step S10). In this case, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the article dispensing units A and B are in the accommodating space 100A, the article dispensing units C and D are in the accommodating space 100B, and the article dispensing units E, F, and G are in the accommodating space. It is assumed that the article dispensing unit H is accommodated in the accommodating space 100D in the portion 100C.

"Initial setting"
The administrator operates the input unit 45 to perform the initial setting of the article dispensing device 1 in the storage unit 44 of the control unit 10 so as to accumulate the sales quantity data generated based on the sale of the article P (step S11). ).

"Sales start"
The administrator stores the article P in each article storage unit of each article dispensing unit A to H and starts selling the article P (step S12). When the purchaser selects and purchases the item P from the item dispensing units A to H, the sales number data of the purchased item P is accumulated in the data storage unit 44A of the storage unit 44.

“Survey of sales status”
When a certain period of time (for example, two weeks as a replenishment cycle of the article P) has elapsed since the start of the sale of the article P, the manager investigates the sales situation (the remaining amount of the article P) (step S13). In this case, if there is a remaining amount of the article P (NO in step S13), the process proceeds to step S14. When there is no remaining amount of the article P (YES in step 13), the sale of the article P is stopped. After the sale of the article P is stopped, for example, the article P based on a new sales plan is replenished to the article dispensing units A to H and the sale is performed.

"Input section operation"
The administrator operates the input unit 45 of the control unit 10 so that the maintenance program is executed (step S14). Here, the maintenance program is read from the program storage unit 44 </ b> B by the control unit 41, whereby the sales quantity data for each article P of the article dispensing units A to H is displayed on the display unit 11 .

"Increase or decrease unit"
The manager determines the necessity of increase / decrease change of the article delivery units A to H based on the displayed sales quantity data and the storage amount of the article P of the article delivery units A to H (step S15). Here, for example, the article P is already sold out in the article dispensing unit F / G, and the period from the sales date / time to the sold out of the sales number data is several days. If it is larger than the payout unit C, it is determined that there is a “necessity” of the unit increase / decrease change (YES in step S15), and the goods payout unit B (intermediate size goods payout unit) as shown in FIG. ) Is removed from the storage space 100A, and the article delivery unit FG (intermediate size article delivery unit) is stored in the storage space 100A (step 16). If the administrator determines that the unit increase / decrease change is “no need” (YES in step S15), the process proceeds to step S17 without changing the unit increase / decrease.

"Supplement of goods"
The administrator replenishes the article delivery units A to H with the article P (S17). Next, the input unit 45 of the control unit 10 is operated to execute the sales volume data reset process in the data storage unit 44A, the maintenance program is terminated, and the process returns to step S12. In the subsequent sales process, sales number data generated based on the sale of the article P is accumulated in the data storage unit 44A of the storage unit 44.

(Effect of embodiment)
According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The arrangement of the article dispensing units A to H according to the sales of the article P can be performed by changing the unit. For this reason, even if there is a difference in the sales amount of the article P between the article dispensing units A to H, the remaining amount can be made uniform among the single article dispensing units, and the comparison of articles and sizes with good sales It is possible to reduce the number of times of replenishment of large articles, and to prevent the replenishment timing difference between good-selling goods and bad-good goods.

(2) About the good-selling goods P, since specific goods delivery unit AH which stores this goods P can be accommodated and increased in the unit accommodation space 100, even if the number of sales increases, it is sold out. It does not occur.

(3) Since the article delivery units A to H for storing the article P can be removed from the unit accommodating space 100 and reduced with respect to the article P with poor sales, the article with good sales between the single article delivery units. Compared with P, the remaining amount can be equalized and sold, and excess inventory can be prevented.

(4) Unit increase / decrease can be realized by accommodating (attaching) / removing (detaching) the article dispensing units A to H in the unit accommodating space 100, and the apparatus configuration is not complicated.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the accommodation space portions 100A to 100D of the article dispensing units A to H are arranged at positions corresponding to two rows and two rows of the unit accommodation space 100 (two in the vertical and horizontal directions) will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the layout and number of the accommodating space portions can be changed as appropriate.

  Further, in the present embodiment, three, large, medium and small article dispensing units having different unit sizes (width direction dimensions) or a plurality of article dispensing units by a specific combination among these three large, medium and small article dispensing units are unit-accommodated. Although the case of selectively accommodating in the space has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, three large / medium / small article delivery units having different unit sizes (dimensions in the width direction) and the three large / small / three article delivery units. A smaller (larger) article dispensing unit, or a plurality of article dispensing units by a specific combination among these three, larger, medium and small article dispensing units and a smaller (larger) article dispensing unit than these three large, medium and small article dispensing units. It can also be selectively accommodated in the accommodation space. That is, in short, among the plurality of article dispensing units, at least three large, medium and small article dispensing units each having a different unit size, or a plurality of article dispensing units by a specific combination among these at least three large, medium and small article dispensing units in the unit accommodation space. It may be accommodated selectively.

The perspective view which shows the goods delivery apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure shown in order to demonstrate the goods delivery apparatus whose unit size is a middle size among the some goods delivery units in the goods delivery apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which looked at the goods delivery apparatus with the smallest unit size from the side among the some goods delivery units in the goods delivery apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the principal part of FIG. The figure shown in order to demonstrate the drive force transmission mechanism of the residual amount presence / absence display board in the article | item delivery apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure shown in order to demonstrate the display state of the residual amount presence / absence display board which operate | moves by the drive of the driving force transmission mechanism in FIG. The figure shown in order to demonstrate the goods delivery apparatus with the largest unit size among several goods delivery units in the goods delivery apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The front view shown in order to demonstrate the spring for goods stirring in the goods delivery unit of FIG. The block diagram which shows the circuit of the control unit in the goods delivery apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the procedure about the unit increase / decrease change of the goods delivery apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows typically the example of arrangement | positioning of the goods delivery unit of the goods delivery apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Article delivery apparatus, 2 ... Apparatus main body, 2A ... Base part, 2B ... Main body part, 3A ... Article storage part, 5 ... Front panel, 9A ... Article delivery outlet, 10 ... Control unit, 11 ... Display part, 12 ... Operation panel, 13 ... Coin slot, 14 ... Coin return slot, 15 ... Coin mechanism, 21 ... First back plate, 25 ... Structure, 25A ... Frame member, 25B ... Pole, 26 ... Reinforcement plate, 27 ... Side panel , 31 ... Rotor, 32 ... Sign panel, 33 ... Display lamp, 35 ... Second guide plate, 36 ... Gear part, 38 ... Housing hole, 39 ... Inclined duct, 41 ... Control part, 42 ... Coin processing part, 43A- 43H ... handle lock unit, 44 ... storage unit, 44A ... data storage unit, 44B ... program storage unit, 45 ... input unit, 70A ... handle panel, 71 ... handle, 72 ... handle shaft, 73 ... gear, 74 ... locking unit , 100 Unit accommodating space, 100A to 100D ... accommodating space part, 200 ... unit main body, 250 ... structure, 250A ... space part, 251 ... front panel, 251A ... transparent panel, 252B ... signboard panel, 252b ... transparent window, 252c ... article Take-out port, 252C ... handle panel, 300 ... rotor unit, 300A ... unit base, 301 ... base body, 253 ... holder, 304 ... spring, 400 ... back panel, 401 ... first back plate, 401A ... through window, 405 ... Unit main body, 410 ... article storage box, 410B ... article insertion / extraction port, 420 ... driving force transmission mechanism, 421 ... shaft, 422 ... cylindrical, 422A ... cam, 423 ... bracket, 430 ... handle, 440 ... article extrusion member, 440A, 440B ... Roller, 450 ... Weight, 450A, 450B ... F 450C ... weight main body, 460 ... remaining amount display board, 460A ... display section, 480 ... display lamp, 481 ... locking section, 501 ... first guide plate, 600 ... unit main body, 601 ... signal processing device, 700 ... Posts, 701, 702 ... Spring holder, 703, 704 ... First spring, 705, 706 ... Second spring, 710 ... Holder mechanism, A to H ... Article dispensing unit, P ... Article

Claims (8)

An apparatus main body having a unit housing space therein;
A plurality of article dispensing units that are accommodated in the unit accommodating space of the apparatus main body and dispense articles according to an article dispensing operation by an article dispenser;
An article dispensing apparatus comprising a controller for controlling the article dispensing operation of the article dispensing unit to a possible / impossible state,
The unit accommodating space can be selectively accommodated by a combination of at least three large, medium, and small commodity dispensing units having different unit sizes among the plurality of commodity dispensing units, and the arrangement of the plurality of commodity dispensing units can be changed. A plurality of accommodating space portions,
  Each of the article dispensing units has an article storage unit configured to expand or reduce the volume for storing the article, and an article dispensing mechanism for dispensing the article from the article storage unit,
The controller displays the sales quantity data of each of the articles in the plurality of article dispensing units on a display unit based on an operation by an administrator. An apparatus main body having a unit housing space therein;
A plurality of article dispensing units that are accommodated in the unit accommodating space of the apparatus main body and dispense articles according to an article dispensing operation by an article dispenser;
An article dispensing apparatus comprising a controller for controlling the article dispensing operation of the article dispensing unit to a possible / impossible state,
Said unit accommodating space, and can be accommodated in by Ri election択的to a combination of each unit size is different at least large, medium and small three article dispensing unit of the plurality of article dispensing units, the arrangement of the plurality of article dispensing unit have a plurality of housing spaces which enables change,
Each of the article dispensing units stores the article, and has an article storage section having a visual recognition section that allows the article to be viewed from the front, and is disposed in the article storage section, and stores the article according to the article dispensing operation. An article delivery mechanism having an accommodation hole for delivering the article from the section, and an article delivery outlet for taking out the article delivered from the article storage section by the article delivery mechanism,
The article storage unit has a box-shaped back plate that is detachable from a through-window that opens through another surface different from the front surface. By being provided on the inner opening periphery of the through window, the volume of the article storage unit is expanded or reduced,
The controller displays the sales quantity data of each of the articles in the plurality of article dispensing units on a display unit based on an operation by an administrator . Wherein the plurality of the one housing space of the housing space, the article dispensing device according to claim 1 or 2 maximum size of the article dispensing unit is housed within the large, medium and small three article dispensing unit. Among the plurality of storage space portions, one storage space portion includes a minimum-size item discharge unit and an intermediate-size item discharge unit between the maximum size and the minimum size among the large, medium, and small three item discharge units. The article dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the article dispensing apparatus is accommodated. Wherein the plurality of the one housing space of the housing space, the article dispensing device according to claim 1 or 2 minimum size of the article dispensing unit is housed within the large, medium and small three article dispensing unit. Wherein one article dispensing units of the plurality of articles dispensing unit, an article dispensing device according to any one of claims 1-5 consisting of an article dispensing unit to toy the article. Wherein one article dispensing units of the plurality of articles dispensing unit, an article dispensing device according to any one of claims 1-5 consisting of an article dispensing unit for the article with the food. Wherein one article dispensing units of the plurality of articles dispensing unit, an article dispensing device according to any one of claims 1-5 consisting of an article dispensing unit for the article with the cards,.